Hexagon
by Azrakatz
Summary: When Cinderheart transferred to the prestigious Hexagon Academy, she expected- not this. Behind the appearance of an elistist school is violence, betrayal, and a corpse around every corner, dictated by the underground fight ring called the Dark Forest. With a target on her back and all those she cares about, she and the rest of Thunder realize that nothing is ever as it seems. HSAU
1. Hexagon Academy

**Hexagon**

Chapter 1: Hexagon Academy

 **(a temporary note: I'm in the process of rewriting chapter 1-15/20. It's going to take a while. If you notice any inconsistencies between these chapters, it's probably because I haven't gotten around to rewriting that part yet)**

 **When transferring to the prestigious Hexagon Academy, she hadn't expected any of this. Darkness lurks behind every corner, hidden behind the eyes of many students dictated by the underground fight ring. With a target on her back, along with those she cares about, will Cinderheart survive her first year?**

* * *

 **That being said, this story is utterly crazy in more ways than one. So young viewers (13 and younger) beware, and know exactly what you are getting yourself into.**

 **So WARNING: THIS IS IMPORTANT! Young readers read at your own risk, it's rated teen for a reason. And those reasons are as follows:**

 **~ Blood**

 **~ Lots of Violence (Around the cavity inducing fluff and confusion filled chaos going on)**

 **~Perverted innuendos and comments that are generally of a sexual nature (no lemons/smut/whatever though, this is still rated teen. Plus the characters are underage and that's just weird)**

 **~Swearing and foul language. No racial of homophobic slurs, ever, period. I don't want to see any of that in reviews either guys. Please keep it civil down there.**

 **~ Character death…who the unfortunate victims are, you'll have to read to find out XD**

 **YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. If any of these things bother you, this probably isn't your story. If you choose to read on anyway, please don't go complaining to me if you get offended, because chances are, you'll be ignored.**

 **A massive thank you to Tigercry for helping me with the warnings. I made it sound like it was going to be a murderfest (it's not, I promise)**

 **If you're still here after all that, welcome! So I've been seeing a lot of this kind of fic out there, so I decided to give it a shot, with my own spin of course. It's set in the year 2064, in the fictional European country of Briox. In case you're wondering why I completely made up a country, here we go:**

 **-Briox, the country in which this story for the most part takes place, represents the home of the Clans**

 **-Pruick, the neighboring country and the homeland for Fallen Leaves and Half Moon, represents the home of the Tribe of Rushing Water**

 **Anyway, please enjoy! Reviews are always greatly appreciated :D**

 **Let's get on with the fic, shall we?**

...

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

I stepped forward, glancing behind me. I wasn't ready for this. My mother was struggling to keep her face blank and expressionless, but the silent tears pricking in the corners of her sapphire blue eyes gave her away. I turned away, and faced the azure beam of light that extended to somewhere above the clouds.

Suddenly, a warm arm snaked around me, and held me close. It was my mother. The barriers had finally broken, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks. She pressed a white, imposing looking envelope into my hands.

"Don't lose it", she said urgently. She gave me a light kiss on the cheek. "Stay safe."

Taking a deep breath, I stepped uncertainly toward the beam of light. Okay, Cinderheart. Pull yourself together. I stepped into the light and immediately felt as if I had been doused in a bucketful of icy water. For several long seconds, nothing happened. Terror overtook my mind. What if something was wrong with me?

Violetpaw had begun to cry again, and my mother began to comfort her when the world around me began to spin. I caught a glimpse of the surly security guards shoving my family toward the exit. The spinning began to speed up, the world morphed together like an azure blur.

The streaks of blue light burned in my eyes, and slowly, very slowly, I felt my feet lifting off the ground. It was a peculiar feeling. I felt like I was experiencing weightlessness, a perfect silence, an everlasting calm. I felt no stress, no fear. The uncomfortable cold that had been prickling at my skin had long since faded away. Even the spinning, as well as the burning in my eyes that had been caused by the bright light, didn't bother me anymore.

What felt like hours later, the spinning began to slowly slacken, and once it had stopped, I found myself stumbling onto a shaggy white rug. I was in a circular room without windows, the wall space instead occupied by many colorful works of art. The floor, on the other hand was made completely out of reinforced glass.

I looked down, and felt my breath hitch in my throat with sheer amazement. Through many wisps of clouds, I could see the world sprawled out below me like some massive technicolor map.

"Spectacular, isn't it?" I jumped, before turning around. A beautiful woman was rising from her desk behind me. Out of my excitement, I hadn't noticed her at all. She had lovely silvery-blue hair that framed her face in tight curls. Her eyes were a pretty shade of forget-me-not blue. She was dressed in a dark blue business suit with a white blouse, white dress pants, and dark blue stilettos.

"Good morning" , she greeted me with a warm smile. I noticed that she had a slight British accent. "My name is Mistystar, and I'm the head of the River sector. Could I please see that envelope?"

I swiftly handed her the envelope. Mistystar sat primly at her desk, at slit open the envelope, before retrieving from it, a small, pale blue USB flash drive. That's it? I thought.

Mistystar didn't seem to think that there was anything missing. She plugged it in, and scrolled through the contents. As soon as she had finished reading, about 3 minutes later, she tucked the phone under her ear. "Hello? Good morning to you too. We have a new Thunder student, would you please come down to my office to pick her up? Mhm? Yes. That's right. Thank you."

Mistystar flashed me another brilliant smile. "Firestar will be down in a minute, hon", she informed me. "He's going to show you around and help you a bit."

I didn't have to wait long, because several minutes later, a man, around 40, with a neat red beard and combed red hair entered the room. He was wearing a dark red blazer with a black tie, along with black dress pants.

"Good morning", he said to me with a smile, and shook my hand. "I'm Firestar, the head of Thunder. It's a pleasure to meet you." "I'm Cinderheart", I introduced myself. Mistystar handed him the flash drive, and gave me two pieces of paper. "That's a map and your schedule. The map should help you find your classes. I'll see you around!" She waved goodbye as we left her office and sat back down at her desk.

Firestar guided me along a hallway, the walls of which were lined with doors. "This is the Central Sector", he explained. "Here we have the main office, as well as the auditorium, the fitness center, and the hospital." He led me around a curve, and through an automatic door.

I was shocked by what I saw next. I was standing in a hall, but this was no ordinary hall. It was suspended it the air. I glanced out of the massive, floor length windows, and saw that the shape of the school fit its name.

Floating in the air, completely unsupported were seven, massive circular segments, six of which formed a gigantic hexagon in the air, with the Central Sector floating in the middle of it all. The sectors were connected by glass hallways just like the one I was standing in. Firestar joined me by the windows.

"That is the Thunder Sector." He pointed ahead, on the other end of the hall. "It's where we're heading now. Next to the Thunder Sector is the Wind Sector, then the River Sector- and the Shadow Sector is across from the Thunder Sector. Over there are the Star and Dark sectors."

He turned to look me square in the face. "The Dark Sector is off-limits. You'd do well to stay far away from it. Come along." I followed Firestar reluctantly. There were still a lot of questions I wanted answered.

"I'll show you to your dorm", he explained. "Your roommate will probably be at breakfast when we arrive. Take that time to unpack and get comfortable. Your luggage has already been sent up to your room."

He guided me around a corner and stopped in front of the door. This door, like every other one, had a glowing blue screen next to it. Firestar plugged the flash drive into a slit above it, and within seconds, my data began showing up on the screen.

After several minutes of furious typing, Firestar turned back to me. He instructed me to press my hand against the screen. It only took the computer a few seconds to analyze the details on my hand, and the doors automatically slid open.

As I looked at my new home, my jaw dropped in awe. Two modern style beds had been pressed against the window, following the curve of the wall, the sheets an electric blue. The carpet and curtains matched the beds. There was a pair of walk in closets and two desks on either side of the door.

"Do you want me to show you the other sectors as well or do you want to explore them on your own?", Firestar asked me. "I'll be fine on my own, thank you for asking though." Firestar smiled at me, gave me a pat on the back, and left. I sat down on my bed. Might as well unpack.

...

 **Blossomfall's POV:**

I entered the Dining Hall for breakfast and immediately scanned the tables for my friends. I saw them quickly, perched on bar stools at one of the high tables. We had gotten lucky, this one was at the window and had a spectacular view. Seated were Hollyleaf, Honeyfern, Poppyfrost, Hazeltail ...and Dovewing, who was in the middle of a rambling, long winded story about her sister. How fucking wonderful.

Sure enough, the catty platinum blond was telling anyone who would listen yet another story about her twin sister, Ivypool. Over the course of the past few months, the poor girl had become a school disgrace and social outcast. Much of Ivypool's fall from grace had been Dovewing's doing, as she spread rumors and planted fear among the students.

Through Dovewing's work, it became common knowledge that Ivypool was a former Dark Forest R-Fighter. The Dark Forest was a "secret" fight ring type gang, centered in the Dark sector. The gang had gained much of its members from the student body directly. They regularly preyed on the most emotionally vulnerable, pulling them in to become Recruited Fighters, R-Fighters for short. These recruits were trained to fight, taught new skills to work under Brokenstar and carry out the dirty work.

Just how many students were part of Brokenstar's army was impossible to know. Everyone kept their so-called "membership" a secret, fearing not just Brokenstar's gruesome punishments, but also the public shaming that Ivypool had to endure. Many tried to leave. Very few managed.

Ivypool had, though. She had been high ranking, and one of the most feared fighters in the Dark Forest. She had betrayed Brokenstar. No one knew exactly what she had done, because she refused to talk about it. Instead of maiming or killing her, Brokenstar humiliated her, and left her in the middle of the school for other students to find. From there, the rumors had spread like wildfire.

I found it funny, how the Hexagon heads, Bluestar, Firestar, Mistystar, Blackstar, and Onestar all thought they were the ones in charge, when it was really Brokenstar who held all the strings.

Brokenstar had once been one of the heads. Things had gone downhill fast, and after plotting an assassination attempt on Headmistress Bluestar, he had been imprisoned in the Dark sector with all of accomplices, where they had come together and formed the Dark Forest.

I always wondered, what Bluestar had been thinking, shutting a bunch of evil people in a sector together. I mean, there was bound to be trouble.

The other heads hadn't actually agreed when Bluestar had made her decision, but Bluestar hadn't wanted to hear it. Hexagon Academy had a reputation to uphold, it had never expelled anyone, and by the way things were going, I doubted there was going to be an actual expulsion anywhere in the near future. Anyone who got worse than a detention could count on being stuck in the Dark Sector for the rest of their school days.

By now, my friends had managed to shut Dovewing up. I exchanged a glance with Honeyfern, my message clear. _Who invited HER?_ Honeyfern rubbed her neck apologetically, and then made a motion as if promising to explain later.

Attempting to lighten the dampened mood, Hollyleaf changed the subject. "I don't know if I mentioned it already, but I'm getting a roommate." Poppyfrost practically leaped forward across the table to look at Hollyleaf.

"No!", the redhead exclaimed. "What's her name? When is she getting here?"

The other girls were definitely paying attention now. A new student at Hexagon Academy was pretty rare. "So Firestar came to me a couple of days ago, and said that a new girl got accepted, and since I'm in a double room without a roommate, that she will be moving into my room."

This caught the attention of Berrynose, who had been walking by.

"A new girl, huh?", he mused, resting his elbows on the table. "I hope she's hot."

His sister Hazeltail rolled her eyes. "As if you're not already getting chased by enough girls, you perv." She nodded to the neighboring table, where sure enough, a group of giggling freshman girls was making moon eyes at him.

Honeyfern snorted. "If we're talking about chick magnets, there's Lionblaze. Heathertail practically ate his face in the middle of the Dining Hall earlier. Apparently some other girls were 'getting a little too close'." She scoffed, not even bothering to hide her disdain for Heathertail, Hexagon's resident "Queen Bee".

Hollyleaf stood up, and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Sorry y'all, I need to bail. I left my ID card in my room. I'll see you later."

...

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

I headed out the door, and almost ran into my brother, Lionblaze. Even I have to admit he's good looking. A toned body, strawberry blond hair with golden highlights, and amber eyes. Sure enough, he and Heathertail were pressed into a corner, swapping spit.

Heathertail is gorgeous, with her almost pixie-ish heart shaped face, smoky blue eyes, ridiculously long lashes, and silky flaxen hair. She's got curves in all the right places and wears only the finest clothes.

Her personality is about on the same level of toxicity as gaboon viper venom. Both are extremely poisonous. And very, very deadly.

Lionblaze and Heathertail. Hexagon's "power couple". The most popular guy and the most popular girl. A match made in StarClan, right? Hah.

Lionblaze didn't seem to notice my scorn at all. He just gave me a small smile of acknowledgement, and went right on sucking face with her. I stomped off, my good mood completely ruined. I wished my brother would dump her hoe ass and find someone better for him. She didn't deserve him.

Still on the verge of boiling over with anger, I reached my room. I pressed my palm against the lockscreen, and the doors automatically opened. I threw my bag onto my desk with its neatly labelled drawers and pens and pencils in individual jars.

Only there was already someone in the room, sprawled out on the vacant bed, looking exhausted. The girl looked 15, maybe 16, with her glossy silver hair cascading over the crisp sheets. She wore a sleeveless Kelly green blouse with a trendy v-neck, as well as white skinny jeans and green flip-flops. In her ears were silver stud earrings, and around her neck was a teardrop shaped necklace out of green sea glass. A charm bracelet jangled on her left wrist, and a green and white Nike duffel bag rested at the foot of the bed.

I coughed politely, trying to make my presence known, and the girl instantly sat up. I immediately knew who she was. Firestar told me I might be getting a roommate.

I'd never really wanted a roommate. I liked my privacy, knowing where everything was. I liked having the whole room to myself, and not having to clean up after others. I had to share a room with my brother once, and he's a world-class slob. His side of the room had constantly looked like it had been bombed. Because I hated the mess so much, it was always me who had to clean up.

I stuck out my hand. "Hey, my name's Hollyleaf."

 **End Chapter 1**

 **A few things to know:**

 **-My update schedule is every other Sunday, unless I state otherwise.**

 **-Feel free to give me suggestions for the story, or if there's something you want to see. If it works with the plot, I'll do my best to work it in.**

 **-Constructive criticism is always appreciated!**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	2. Heathertail

**Hexagon**

Chapter 2: Heathertail

 **You may have noticed that I changed the name Teleportix to I-M. I decided that Teleportix was a dumb name and needed immediate fixing. According to Google Translate, the Latin word for teleport is Ianuae Magicae, which I shortened to I-M.**

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

As soon as I finished unpacking, I threw myself onto the bed. I felt drained, but I wasn't surprised. The fatigue was one of the I-M's infamous side effects. I sank down on the bed and took in the citrus-y smell of the crisp sheets, and groaned as the feeling of tiredness began to pass.

Just as I began to recover from the dizzy spell, the door slid open. I heard soft, catlike footsteps and the sound of a bag being thrown angrily onto the desk. There was an awkward silence, before there was a polite cough. I quickly sat up.

Standing in front of me was a girl was shoulder length black hair. She wasn't short, but had a fine bone structure and delicate features. Her emerald green eyes were at a slight exotic slant. She was wearing a white Hollister jacket unzipped over a black sleeveless top, as well as dark wash skinny jeans and white converse. In her ears were silver stud earrings, and around her neck, a matching necklace.

She stuck out her hand. "Hey, my names Hollyleaf."

I rose from the bed and shook Hollyleaf's hand. "I'm Cinderheart. It's nice to meet you." I glanced down at myself and inwardly groaned. My hair was messy, and my clothes looked disheveled. But Hollyleaf didn't seem to mind this at all. I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Hey, do you know when breakfast is?" In all the commotion this morning, I hadn't gotten a proper meal in, and I was certainly feeling the effects now. My stomach was voicing its complaints.

Hollyleaf shrugged. "Now, actually. C'mon, I'll show you the way." I appreciatively followed her out the door.

The Dining Hall was in the Central Sector, so a couple minutes walk away. On the way there, I saw other Thunder students leaving their dorms, so I knew I wasn't the only one who was getting a late breakfast. As we passed one open door, I heard a pair of seniors saying, "Fucking Russetfur didn't tell us about the test until last night. I slept like 2 hours, fuck her."

I didn't know who exactly Russetfur was, but I didn't think the two seniors were fans. The corridor opened up into the glass hall that was suspended in the air. Again, I couldn't help but gape in awe at the spectacular view outside the window.

We rounded another corner, and stopped in front of a pair of gleaming French doors. A potted palm was on either side of the door. "Here we are", Hollyleaf said, and pushed open the door.

The room inside had been set up like a modern cafe. The windows were floor length, letting a fair amount of light into the room. It was full of high, bar style tables with tall stools. It was crammed full at the moment, with students bustling about carrying plates of food or visiting friends at other tables.

On one wall there was a long, buffet type setup. Rather than having the students assemble the plates themselves, there were plates already filled with food, but students could name personal preference. At the current moment, it was decked out with a wide variety of breakfast food. Plates upon plates of bacon and eggs, waffles, pancakes, fruit, hash browns, fried tomatoes, breakfast wraps, greek yogurt, and pastries covered the countertop. Pitchers of milk, juice, ice water, coffee, and tea occupied the drink station. The whole thing was attended by two women who stood behind the counter. Their nametags read "Millie" and "Daisy".

My stomach grumbled longingly at the sight of so much food, but Hollyleaf clearly had other plans. She grabbed my hand and led me to a table to the far right of the Dining Hall. Sitting at the table was a group of six girls. Hollyleaf plopped onto an empty chair and patted the seat by her side, signifying for me to sit next to her.

I sat down, and Hollyleaf got right to business introducing me to the other girls. The first girl, a muscular athletic blond introduced herself as Honeyfern. She had her long hair tied back and was dressed in gym clothes.

To Honeyfern's right sat her sister, Poppyfrost, a fair skinned redhead with freckles. Unlike her sister, she wore more modest, preppy clothes, and looked like the textbook definition of "well behaved schoolgirl". She was the opposite of Honeyfern, mild mannered and sweet to Honeyfern's rambunctious and bold.

Dovewing looked like your basic hoe. Platinum blond hair, miniskirt, and pounds of makeup. She was a regular scandalmonger and spent much of breakfast talking shit on multiple different people, none of which I knew. I got the impression that she wasn't particularly welcome.

Sitting next to Dovewing were Hazeltail, Icecloud and Briarlight, who were all close friends. Hazeltail was short and rather curvaceous, with sun-kissed skin and long brown hair. Briarlight was much taller. The brunette had a runner's build, with powerful legs and lean, wiry muscles. Icecloud seemed to be the tomboy of the group. She had styled her pale blond hair into an undercut, the long parts tied into a messy bun at the back of her head. She, too, had an athletic build and was wearing the practice uniform for the school soccer team.

As it turned out, Hollyleaf's friends were quite the gossips too, teasing each other about their crushes and throwing cheeky glances at the boys' table across the room. I noticed that Icecloud in particular kept eyeing up a strawberry blond at that particular table.

It wasn't until my stomach gave a particularly violent grumble that I remembered why I was in the Dining Hall. I excused myself from the table, and walked up to the buffet setup.I could feel my mouth salivating as I surveyed the different plates in search of what I wanted to eat for breakfast. I eventually decided on bacon and eggs, hashbrowns, bowl of strawberry yogurt, and a large glass of juice.

"G'morning, honey!"

I looked up into the smiling face of Daisy, who was attending the counter. "Um...hi", I mumbled awkwardly. Daisy just grinned and said kindly, "You new? I haven't seen you before." I nodded. The buxom woman winked, then slipped some extra bacon onto my plate.

I thanked her, then picked up my tray and made my way back to the table. It wasn't until I was almost back at my own table that disaster struck.

I tripped over a boot that had been unstrategically extended over the walk. The juice practically flew, painting the blouse of a busty blondine.

The girl turned around slowly, ominously.

The entire Dining Hall had gone deathly silent. I could practically hear the swish of her flaxen hair as she turned to stare me down.

The girl silently looked down at herself, at the sticky juice running into her cleavage and dripping from her hair. Her once white top had been covered in splotches of orange. "I'm sorry", I muttered. I didn't know why I was apologizing. She was the one who had essentially tripped me.

She slowly inflated her chest, before screaming at the top of her lungs, "How dare you? This blouse alone probably cost more than your damn tuition, and you just ruined it! I'll be damned if you don't pay for it! LIONBLAZE!"

Oh.

Oh, shit.

A member of the same boys' table as before stood up, the same one Icecloud had been eyeing up. And goddamn it, he was hot. Hot and fit as hell, with strawberry blond hair and amber eyes. Out of all the guys to piss off on the first day, it had to be him?

He stood next to the blond, eyes half lidded and lethargic as he looked me up and down. He looked almost...tired. Like the very picture of unenthusiasm. The blondine didn't seem to catch it, and went on and on, ranting about my stupidity.

At one point, I'd had enough.

"Well, that was a decidedly stupid place to put your foot", I snapped. All eyes turned to me. The entire Dining Hall, which had been silently observing, fixed on me. This girl's friends, who had been giggling amongst themselves, suddenly glowered at me. One of them, a ravenette, hissed furiously at me.

"How dare you speak to Heathertail like that!"

I ignored her.

"You put your foot in the middle of the damn walkway. Which, you know, is meant for walking? That was practically asking for an accident, and moronic on your part. If you care about your clothes so much, then it's your responsibility to look out for them, not your boyfriend's and certainly not mine."

Heathertail just stared at me for a few seconds, her mouth opening and closing like she was trying to find her words but couldn't. I scoffed.

"I'm done here." I walked off, carrying what remained on my tray. I glanced back once. Lionblaze's amber gaze was locked on me.

...

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

"Who the hell was she?!", Heathertail seethed for the fourth time.

"Dunno. She must be new or something", I replied, also for the fourth time.

"Whoever she is, I'm going to find her and ruin her. She made me look like an idiot in front of half the school."

She went on like that, yelling, and spitting threats against whoever this mystery girl was. Disaster struck once again half an hour later, after she had somewhat calmed down.

"Excuse me?!"

Heathertail's shrill voice resonated throughout the hall, and all over, heads turned to stare.

"What do you mean, you have to cancel our date?!" I exhaled sharply, trying very hard not to lose my temper. "We're playing BloodClan soon, remember? Ashfur scheduled more trainings to prepare."

Heathertail got right up close and in my face, glaring at me. Her nails grasped at me collar.

"Soccer or me. Pick one."

"Heathertail, I'm the captain. I can't just take a day off whenever I want."

"I said pick one."

"And I said I have a life. This week it calls for me being at practice everyday. Respect that and calm the fuck down."

She ripped her hands off my collar, blue eyes frigid. "I'll see you next week then, _captain._ " She uttered the last word so maliciously, it made me stare at her a bit. She glowered back, flipped her silky hair over her shoulder, and flounced off.

I stood tall, keeping my posture rigid until Heathertail was out of sight, but inwardly, I felt myself crumple. I was certainly wasn't an expert in love, but I could definitely tell when a relationship had turned sour. We were angry at each other half of the time, and we hardly ever spoke unless it was to exchange insults.

It seemed, to make up for the lack of affection, Heathertail turned the flirtation level if other people were watching from 6 to 15. I felt like I was performing for the other students every time we did. Can't have them thinking there's trouble in paradise, can we?

Hollyleaf and Jayfeather are the only people I've told. My two brilliant siblings know all the nasty details of our relationship. They're the first to know when we've fought, when we've "made up". Hollyleaf openly hates her. Jayfeather is more discreet about it, but it doesn't exactly take a detective to figure out his opinion on her either. The same goes for the rest of the school. It's like a hidden kind of hate.

The warning bell rang, and I sprinted. I only had 2 minutes to get to the Central Sector. I passed a corner, and almost ran into a very disgruntled looking Leaftail. There was no time to apologize. I passed Foxleap, who was carrying a large amount of exploding goo in his hands. I rounded one last curve, and arrived in front of the gym doors.

Although class hadn't started yet, I was very obviously late. The students were busy setting up for class, with Ashfur directing in the center. The raven haired teacher waved me over.

"You're late, Lionblaze", he informed me. "Sorry, coach", I mumbled. He sighed. "It's fine, although I'll have to mark you tardy. Go put on your uniform."

By the time I had changed into the uniform (a blue athletic shirt with the school emblem, and black basketball shorts) Ashfur had led everyone to a commonly used part of the gym, the climbing wall. It rose really high into the air and even went upside down at the top. Ropes of reinforced steel were fastened at the top to keep anyone from breaking their neck on it, but this hardly gave comfort to the people who were afraid of heights. Not that I would admit it, but the wall never got any less scary, no matter how many times we went on it.

Ashfur had us go on the wall at least once a week to build up our endurance and upper body strength. As I waited for my turn, the line passed by way too quickly. It felt like only minutes later that Ashfur was securing a safety harness to my waist. He attached the harness to the steel rope, and stepped back to watch me climb.

I gulped as I gazed upward. It seemed so far away. Just then, I heard Breezepelt snicker as he watched me hesitate to get on the wall. As soon as I heard it, the rebellious need to prove Breezepelt wrong rose inside of me, and I stepped onto the first ledge. I began to map out a path among the ledges. Move left, raise right foot onto high ledge. Use left hand to hold onto the ledge on the far left, then push up. I continued sturdily up the wall, until I reached the halfway mark. This was always the part that got me. There was a large outcropping, too smooth to hold on to. The nearest ledge was out of my reach. I was stuck. I could hear Breezepelt beginning to laugh again. I looked down. The floor was dizzyingly far away to me. A panicky sweat was beading at my brow.

I gulped. I gripped my current ledge as tightly as I could, before raising my knee to rest on top of the outcropping. I looked up, and noticed that the next ledge was definitely close enough to reach now. What happened next would have to go quick. I let go of my current ledge, and felt myself beginning to fall, before I grabbed onto the one above me as tightly as I could.

Slowly, my fingers trembling, I managed to pull myself up and continue up. With one finger, I pressed the button at the top, before lowering myself back to the ground. Breezepelt looked speechless and annoyed. I smirked, before unhooking my harness and handing it to him. "Your turn."

 **End Chapter 2**

 **Rock climbing terrifies the shit out of me. Even if it's on a plastic wall with footholds and I have harness (Azra logic 101)**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	3. Meet Half Moon

**Hexagon**

Chapter 3: Meet Half Moon

 ***The thing with the 3 subs later during the chapter isn't an actual rule, as far as I know. You don't even need subs to play. Legally, a team can usually play with only 7 players on the field. For reference, the permitted number on the field is 11 per team, including the goalie.**

 **Bumblestripe's POV:**

Berrynose stepped out of the line, playing to Ashfur, who played it back. The brunette wasted no time, hitting the ball with his laces and attempting to get the back corner. I rose, and barely managed to bump it over the crossbar and safely out of the box.

"Dammit, Bumble, you couldn't have let it in? That was a good shot!", Berrynose fake-lamented as he went to get his runaway ball.

I gave my friend a cheeky thumbs up, before preparing for the next shot. The next person in line was Toadstep. I knew that Toadstep was left midfield, and despite being a great runner with a really high endurance, he didn't have too great of a shot. Because of this, I allowed my mind to wander.

I turned my head to look at the other side of the gym. There, Ivypool stood quietly in her usual desolate corner, practicing her footwork. Ivypool was definitely one of the strongest players on our team, playing center midfield. But she was also the school outcast. Being seen interacting with her was practically social suicide.

Not just that, but Ivypool had been part of the Dark Forest, which was sort of like an underground fight ring. No one really knew what their goal was, people making the occasional assumption. Each was more ridiculous than the last. They were just a terrible existence at our school. It wasn't just the social aspect that caused people to stay from Ivypool. For all you knew, you were going to be murdered in your sleep.

I was yanked out of my thoughts in the rudest way possible, with a soccer ball to the face. Toadstep was running over to me. "Bumblestripe, are you okay? I'm really sorry!" My lip was bleeding slightly, but other than that, I was fine. "I'm okay. I wasn't paying attention, that was my fault." Toadstep clearly still felt bad, but just then, Ashfur called the team together.

Our team is actually coed, and there are more guys on it than girls, but the girls who were on our team were undeniably skilled. "Great soccer, guys." Icecloud gave a sharp cough. "And girls.", Ashfur added. Ashfur then began to pace. Ashfur pacing was never a good sign. It almost always meant that there was something was very wrong.

"As you all know, our game against BloodClan Academy is coming up." Everyone nodded. This was old news. "Unfortunately, Robinwing dislocated his knee, and we need at least three subs to play.* So unless we get another player, we won't be able to play against BloodClan Academy."

The seriousness of the situation dawned on all the players immediately, and when the practice ended, we trudged out of the gym in silence. The only sound was the hollow thump of Lionblaze hitting his soccer ball against the floor. "How are we supposed to get another player out of nowhere?", Scorchfur asked, sounding defeated. "I guess we could hold tryouts?", Mousewhisker suggested halfheartedly.

"Tryouts are a good idea, so w can see who's the most suited for Robinwing's position", Ivypool said. I turned in surprise. Ivypool avoided speaking as much as possible. The only place we ever truly saw her come to life was on the soccer field. Gorsetail nodded in agreement. "I can do the posters." On that note, the team went their separate ways.

...

 **Berrynose's POV:**

The practice came to a depressing end. We had been training really hard in preparation for the game. BloodClan Academy were our biggest rivals. They had beat us in the last match, and this had given the team an extra kick of motivation to win the game. I rounded the corner and stood in front of probably the most boring class here: Clan History.

The class was taught by Mousefur, who was so old and fragile, it looked like one strong push would cause her to shatter like glass. She beckoned the class in with a wave of her hand, and we filed into the room in silence. Despite being incredibly old, Mousefur was also very strict.

"Alright, class", she wheezed. "I hope you all studied for your test on the Great Journey, because it's going to be determining who passes and fails this class." I froze. I had completely forgotten about the test. She handed out the papers, and we immediately got to work. At least, the other students did. I stared blankly at the paper with no idea what to do.

1) Why did the four clans leave the forest?

A-after Highstone's destruction, the clans had no means to contact StarClan

B-the farmland was destroyed, causing the warriors to be unable to obtain food

C-overhunting the land caused food to become scarce and the warriors to starve

D-after the Great War, every clan wanted to expand their territory beyond the borders

I had no clue. I randomly circled c and hoped it was correct. Then, I moved on to the next question.

2) When and why is the Daylight Gathering held?

A-the Daylight Gathering is held to celebrate the clans resettling into life

B-the Daylight Gathering is held to celebrate food returning to the forest

C-the Daylight Gathering is held to celebrate the clans' arrival at the lake

D-the Daylight Gathering is held to celebrate a time of peace between the clans

After circling d, I moved on to finish the rest of the exam. I was sure I failed, but I didn't really care at the moment. It wasn't like knowing why the stupid Daylight Gathering was held was going to make me successful in the future. At the end of the period, we handed in our tests and filed out of the classroom. Oh, well. At least I tried.

...

 **Foxleap's POV:**

I felt like a genius as I sprinted back to my dorm to hide. This was going to be one of my best pranks yet! I had swapped the signs on the bathrooms, and I knew that Icecloud was currently inside, touching up her makeup. She would not be pleased when a desperate guy burst in. As I skidded to a halt, my sisters furious scream was music to my ears. "FOXLEAP! You are SO dead!"

...

 **Jayfeather's POV:**

"...and that, class, is how to apply a tourniquet." I put my head down on the table, not even bothering to look in Yellowfang's general direction. I could hear her just fine (yay me) so what was the point? I clearly wasn't the only one bored by the lecture. I could hear the scraping of graphite on paper as Kestrelflight scribbled a note to his friends. I couldn't see what he was writing, though.

Maybe because I'm blind.

"Jayfeather! Are. You. Listening?" I raised my head. "Yes." I could imagine Yellowfang frowning. "Recite what I just said", she ordered.

I sighed. Was this really necessary? Regardless, I began to recite, word for word, "The majority of external bleeding injuries can be controlled by direct pressure, grab something absorptive and preferably clean, such as a sterile gauze pad (although it may have to be your own shirt), and place it over the wound while applying significant pressure. The aim is to plug the wound and promote blood clotting, because blood will not coagulate while freely flowing. Gauze pads (or something absorptive such as terrycloth or cotton fabric) work well to prevent the blood from escaping the wound. If the gauze, towel, or article of clothing soaks through with blood, add another layer — don't take off the original make-shift bandage. Peeling off a blood-soaked bandage from the wound removes the quickly forming clotting factors and encourages bleeding to resume. However, if the wound is too severe and the bleeding cannot be stopped with applied pressure, then (and only then) should you consider a tourniquet."

Yellowfang rolled her eyes. "Pay attention anyway. Dozing off is disrespectful." I smirked. My excellent memory made up for my lack of sight, and Yellowfang knew this. Why she had even bothered trying to show me up was beyond me.

I was about to go back to dozing off when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around. A girl I hadn't met before whispered, "That was awesome. I think you're the only person who's gotten away with mouthing off to her."

I accepted the compliment hesitantly. "Thanks…? I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are."

She answered readily. "Oh! Sorry. I'm Half Moon."

 **End Chapter 3**

 **Wikihow is a beautiful thing (referring to the part where Jayfeather smart-asses Yellowfang)**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	4. Halloween Dance?

**Hexagon**

Chapter 4: Halloween Dance?

 **Ivypool's POV:**

I shrugged my backpack over my shoulder and left the classroom. Whitestorm, who was in a good mood, let us leave early. I had barely reached the corner when the bell rang, and students spilled out of the classrooms, laughing and talking. I attempted to quickly walk away so no one saw me, but I wasn't fast enough.

Spiderleg had seen me. He walked up to me and grabbed my wrist to prevent me from leaving. "Where are you off to, Ivypool?", he mocked. "Off to play Brokenstar's pet?" _Oh, no he didn't.._ Without thinking, I pulled my fist back, and punched the cocky upperclassman across the face. "Don't touch me.", I snarled.

Shocked whispers raced through the hall, things like, "I told you she's unstable.", or "I bet she learned that in the Dark Forest." Angry tears welled in my eyes. Why can't people see that I'm really just a nice person? I made a mistake joining the Dark Forest. Hadn't I already been punished enough?

I ran the rest of the way to the Dining Hall, trying to ignore the judgemental stares of the school. I reached the Dining Hall in minutes. I can be really fast if I put my mind to it. I pushed open the doors, and immediately made my way to the buffet. Today there was stirfry out of flat noodles in a bechamel sauce with crispy bacon pieces and grated cheese. I grabbed a plate and withdrew to my usual table in the corner, before I was halted by a group of Shadow boys.

I rolled my eyes. _Do they seriously have nothing better to do?_ "So, you're the little bitch that punched our buddy Spiderleg?" I crossed my arms. I had promised myself to stop fighting, but I wouldn't have a problem with whooping those boys' asses, should they come too close.

I shrugged. "He deserved it. And step any closer to me, and you'll be lucky to get out of here with all your bones intact." Alright, maybe I'm not always a nice person. But these boys had it coming.

Muttering angrily among themselves, they glanced at my face to see if I was serious. My expression betrayed nothing. "Fine. But try anything like that again and you'll pay." I ignored them and was already walking away and saw that Spiderleg and his friends were doing the same. And then I saw through the corner of my eye that one of the boys had stayed behind and was raising his fist preparing to strike. And strike he did, but I spun, catching his fist with ease.

Shock was written all over his features. He clearly wasn't expecting me to anticipate the attack. I smirked. "You wanna go? Lets go. I sort of want to see what you're made of, but what's the point? I can already see it's not much." I shoved him hard, sending him stumbling back. He shot me a look of utter horror. "What even are you?", he spat, and ran.

My appetite gone, I dumped my tray and left the Dining Hall. I wasn't sure exactly where I was going, but I found my feet bringing me to the soccer field. I expected the field to be empty, but I found someone already practicing there.

The girl had pretty silver hair and eyes in an unforgettable shade of sapphire blue. I stood, not making a sound, as I watched her nail shot after shot into the goal. She was fast with a beast of a shot. Just then, the soccer ball was hit in my direction, and I caught it with ease.

The girl jogged over, a smile on her face. "Thanks. I thought that I was going to have to chase that for sure." I handed her the ball. "No problem." Taking a deep breath, I commented, "You're really good. You should consider trying out for the team. We're a player down, anyway."

Her eyes widened. "Do you really mean that?", she breathed. "That'd be so great!" I nodded. "What's your name, anyway?", I asked. The girl smiled. "I'm Cinderheart. I'm new here." "Ah.", I nodded. "That explains why I haven't seen you around before. I'm Ivypool, by the way." As we continued talking, hope blossomed inside of me for the first time in ages. _Was it possible I'd just made a new friend?_

XxxX

 **Honeyfern's POV:**

My breath hitched in my throat as I glanced across the hallway. Oh my StarClan.. There he was… He was just dressed in a simple cream tee shirt with faded jeans, but he was undeniably handsome. He had glossy chestnut hair gelled into spikes, his deep blue eyes could stare right through my soul.

He said goodbye to his friends Foxleap and Lionblaze, before approaching me. Forget butterflies, my stomach was doing backflips as he neared me. "Hey..", he said. "H-hi Berrynose..", I replied as I looked down at the floor. He looked me right in my face, before asking, "S-so, are you coming to the BloodClan Academy game?" I smiled. "Of course! The BCA is going down!"

He grinned. "That's great! I could really use your support." "It's no problem.", I replied, then added quietly under my breath, "I'd do anything for you.." Berrynose gave me a confused stare. "Come again?" I internally screamed, but quickly said, "Nothing!"

With our short conversation at its end, Berrynose waved to me before sprinting around the corner to join his friends. _Phew! That was close!_

XxxX

 **Berrynose's POV:**

I turned the corner and caught up with Lionblaze and Foxleap. As I joined them, I jumped and pumped my fist in the air. "Woah!", Lionblaze said with a laugh. "What's gotten into you?"

"You know Honeyfern? That hot chick that I really like? She's coming to the game!"

"That's great, man!", Foxleap said.

"On the terms of hot chicks, Foxleap, how are you coming along with asking Hazeltail out?", Lionblaze asked.

Being Foxleap, he fake pouted. "She'll realize she likes me sooner or later."

I laughed, and said to Lionblaze, "Still a no, then." Foxleap punched my shoulder, and playfully said, "Shut up!"

"What about Rosepetal? She's cute and really, really likes you.", Lionblaze suggested.

"How do you know that?", Foxleap asked Lionblaze curiously. Lionblaze shrugged. "She told Heathertail, who told me. Turns out Heathertail isn't that great at keeping secrets."

"Surprise, surprise!", I muttered quietly under my breath. Just then, we passed Whitewing, who was hanging up black and orange posters on the wall. The warning bell rang, and Lionblaze and Foxleap disappeared into mathematics with Cloudtail, but I stayed behind to look at the poster.

 _ **Get Your Spook On!**_

 _The Halloween Dance_

 _When: October 31st_

 _Where: The Grand Room_

 _Bring: A costume and a date! (boy ask girl)_

 _Additional information: If you are attending the dance, please wear a comfortable costume, as there will be dancing and a DJ stand. Food will be provided. Attendance is not mandatory._

 _Please join us for this night of spooky fun! It won't be a party without YOU!_

I studied the poster closely. A dance, huh? This is the perfect opportunity to ask Honeyfern out! A wide grin spread across my face. This is going to be great!

XxxX

 **Toadstep's POV:**

The poster loomed in my mind as I sat in class. October 31 is only four weeks away! I only have four weeks to ask out the most beautiful girl in the world. And she's sitting right in front of me.

Icecloud looked even more bored as Tallpoppy rambled than I was. Her long, pale blond hair was done in a long braid that resembled an edgy mohawk. She was dressed in a white crop top under a sleek black moto jacket, along with torn skinny jeans. Her legs were encased in gleaming black boots. She had eyes in a light shade of blue, with a small hint of silver and flecks of pale green.

I put my head in my hands. Trying to summon up the courage to ask Icecloud to the dance wasn't the only thing on my mind. Our game was not even a week away, and we still didn't have the faintest idea of who was a suitable replacement. If we ended up having to pick someone random, we were as good as dead for our game against the BCA.

"Toadstep! Hey Toadstep! TOADSTEP!" I raised my head. "H-huh? What? I'm awake!" I saw Icecloud looking at me, an amused smile on her face. "Good. You might want to pay attention now. Tallpoppy is giving you the stink eye. I don't want you to get detention."

I sat bolt upright, those last words had caused a broad grin to spread across my face. A rosy warmth filled me from head to toe.

When class ended, I was one of the first to rise out of my seat, however, Tallpoppy called, "Toadstep! There's no need for that, I want you to stay after class. You too, Icecloud." We started at each other out of confusion. Had she seen us talking?

As soon as the rest of the class had filed out of the room, Icecloud and I walked up to Tallpoppy's desk. She settled herself into her cozy desk chair, and beckoned to the two stools that stood in front of desk.

"Have a seat.", she said. "Alright. I'm going to get right to business. It pains me to say this, but Toadstep, for the past few months, your grades have been dropping dramatically. There are two ways to deal with this. Either you can repeat this class next year, or get a tutor. Icecloud, this is where you come in. You've been top of my class the entire year. You would be an ideal tutor for Toadstep. Icecloud. Are you alright with tutoring Toadstep?"

Icecloud nodded. "I have no problem with it." Tallpoppy smiled, before continuing, "Toadstep, will you accept tutoring sessions from Icecloud?" I nodded numbly. Tallpoppy smiled, satisfied. "Good. You are both dismissed."

As I left the classroom, I threw one last glance at Icecloud. Intensive tutoring sessions with the girl I liked? _Oh, Starclan...What was I getting myself into?_

 **End Chapter 4**

 **Good question, Toadstep. What** _ **are**_ **getting yourself into? And it's times like these where I'm glad that the fate of the character's love lives are entirely in my hands! ::insert evil laughter here:: Please review everybody! Thank you for reading!**

 **Until next time!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	5. Tryouts

**Hexagon**

Chapter 5: Tryouts

 **Hello dear readers! Welcome back to another chapter! Annnddd without further ado, on with the fic!**

 **Ashfur's POV:**

The posters had gone out, now the only thing left to do was wait. I glanced nervously at my watch. I was two hours early, but surely those eager to join the team would be here by now?

Mousewhisker, who had been sitting on his soccer ball

and texting his sister, rose from his seat, tucked his phone into his back pocket, and walked over to where I was sitting. Lionblaze and Bumblestripe looked up from where they were passing.

At that moment, Berrynose piped up, "Are you going to tell us why you dragged us out here this early, coach?" I massaged my temples, trying to fight off the major headache I could feel coming my way.

"We're here in case anyone comes early to warm up.", I responded. Mousewhisker sighed. "They're noobs. You can't expect them to come pouring in two hours before the practice starts." "As a matter of fact,", Icecloud muttered. "There's a decent chance that you're the only coach in the world with those expectations."

I pretended I didn't hear this and paced around the gym, setting up cones as I went. Lionblaze watched my progress. "Sooo, what's on the agenda?" I didn't look up as I answered, "First, a semi intense warm-up, then, we do some footwork. We move on to some possession, and finish off with a scrimmage."

Ivypool was bouncing her soccer ball as she made her way over. "Sounds good." Suddenly, a quiet voice came from the entrance of the gym, "Are these the tryouts for the the soccer team?"

I turned. "A silver haired girl dressed in a gray dri-fit top, black shorts, and black socks stood at the entrance of the gym. Her silver hair had been styled in a high side ponytail, and a soccer ball was tucked under her arm.

"Yup.", Bumblestripe said. "This is the place." She waved to Ivypool with a smile. "Hey, Ivypool." Ivypool smiled weakly. "Hey Cinderheart."

"Umm so where is everyone else?", Cinderheart asked with a frown. I rose from my seat, and answered, "Not here yet, you're the first one." I noticed that Lionblaze was looking at her curiously.

"Hey, aren't you the girl that's got Heathertail in a rage fit every other second?" She blushed and looked down at the floor. "Sorry.." A broad smile was spreading over Berrynose's face. "That was you?!" He high-fived Cinderheart. "Respect!" Icecloud, too, was laughing. "I loved how you dumped juice on her and then defied her right to her face! That completely made my day!"

It surprised my how quickly my usually focused team dissolved in laughter, but I found myself joining in. I, too, had never really liked Lionblaze's girlfriend.

XxxX

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

Before long, the empty gym was filled with students hoping to score spots on the soccer team. I never really like to admit that I'm nervous, but I found myself sizing up my opponents. The beautiful thing about soccer is that you can't really judge someone until you've seen them play, but I couldn't help but laugh at the girls who had showed up in miniskirts and high heels. In my opinion, someone needed to remind them that this wasn't a cheer tryout.

As soon as most of the people had arrived, Ashfur called the players together. "Alright, everyone! You are here today hoping to get a spot on the soccer team, but before we start, I will explain to you the standards of commitment I expect from all of my players. "You will be expected to attend training every day and come to every game, with the exception that you are sick, injured, or have a note from a teacher explaining why you are absent. You are to give everything your full effort. Slackers are not tolerated. Anyone who cannot fulfill these expectation, please leave now."

The girls in their miniskirts left. Ashfur looked around at who was left and said, "Get in a line. Six laps around the track. You have eight minutes starting…..now!" With moans and groans, all fifty-ish of us started around the track. It turned out, as I was running, that a lot of the students at Hexagon Academy weren't very fit. Two hours a week wasn't nearly enough to keep someone in shape.

I could easily keep up with the soccer team, who was leading the way, however, I suspected that they were going slower than usual for the benefit of the students that were trying out.

Ashfur frowned and made several marks on his clipboard once all the students had finished running. Only about a third had made the time limit. Once everyone was done, he exhaled sharply and told the two thirds who hadn't made the time limit that they were done trying out.

Lionblaze caught my eye. He smiled at me, then mouthed, "It's probably going to be you." I looked down and blushed. The rest of the tryouts seemed to fly by, and in no time at all, we had reached the final scrimmage.

Ashfur cleared his throat loudly. "Grasspelt, Beetlewhisker, Emberfoot, Gorsetail, Scorchfur, Tigerheart, Smokefoot, Crowfrost, Snowbird, Olivenose, Owlclaw, Whitetail, Harespring, put on pinnies. You're team A." He turned to the rest of us. "Berrynose, Mousewhisker, Cinderheart, Lionblaze, Icecloud, Toadstep, Bumblestripe, Ivypool, Tawnypelt, Crowfeather, Thornclaw, Weaselfur, Leaftail, Pouncetail, you're team B."

Ashfur paused to catch his breath. "Team A, you're on the top half, Team B is on the bottom. Play!"

The game went very fast. We had kickoff, and instantly, the ball went back to Bumblestripe in goal. He passed Thornclaw, who was playing left defense. Thornclaw dribbled up the pitch, did a quick fake around Smokefoot, but lost the ball several seconds later. I stood in my position at the top, and inwardly groaned. We had lost the ball right in front of our own goal, and this would result in a vicious counter attack.

My prediction came true. Emberfoot had seized the ball after Thornclaw lost it, and was going to goal. The rest of our defense was rapidly dropping, covering the runners that were making their way to the front. Emberfoot threw a glance over his shoulder, and attempted to sink the ball in the net.

I sighed in relief as Bumblestripe caught the ball. Our gazes met, and he gave a curt nod, and hit the ball in my direction. The ball was soaring over my head, and I began to run. I ran past the line of defense, controlled the ball, and started a breakaway. The goalkeeper for the other team had tensed up as he prepared for my shot. I glanced over my shoulder. No one was close enough for me to pass. This was all me.

I neared the goal, and took a deep breath. My heart was pounded wildly as I came closer to the goal. When I was feet away, the keeper lunged, trying to whip the ball out of my feet, but I managed to avoid his outstretched hands before shooting the ball. The ball went into the upper corner, and I screamed happily. Icecloud and Ivypool hugged me, smiling broadly.

We held up for the rest of the game, and when Ashfur blew the whistle, we walked off the field feeling accomplished. I felt myself glowing with pride.

When the rest of the tryout players had left, I stayed behind, per Ashfur's request. A warm feeling of hope had started inside my chest. "I'm really glad you tried out for us.", Ashfur began. "Where you lack in terms of footwork, you make up in speed and aggression. You're shot is downright terrifying. I'm going to ask you this once, and I need an answer now. Are you interested in joining this team?" I nodded excitedly. I shook Ashfur's outstretched hand and he beamed. "Welcome to the team!"

XxxX

 **Nightcloud's POV:**

I twirled a strand of hair around my finger as I saw Crowfeather leaving the gym. "Sooo Crowy, how'd it go?", I crooned flirtatiously. His gaze was fixed firmly forward as he said, "It went fine." This was my first clue.

We might not be dating yet, but I know my crush pretty well. So I changed the subject. "Crowy, when are you asking me to the Halloween Dance?" He raised an eyebrow. "Who said I'm going with you?" By now, I felt anger building inside of me. "Look, Crowfeather, if you want to go with me, you'd better ask!" He turned on me, anger blazing in his green eyes.

"Nightcloud, just get off my back already! I don't want to go with you!" _What? ….Why?_ Tears began to form in the corner of my eyes, but I refused to let myself cry. If I cried, my mascara would run, and the result wouldn't look very cute. "Alright.", I said, feeling myself choke a little. "Who are you going to ask?" _At least I would know who to take revenge on…_

"Just one of the medic girls. She's so kind and pretty…. But she probably gets hundreds of requests for dates." I swiveled my head around and saw a shorter, actually rather pretty girl. She had pale green eyes, and her brown hair had blond highlights in it. She had been listening to our conversation (along with the rest of the hallway) and was blushing furiously.

"That wouldn't happen to be her, would it?" "Actually….", Crowfeather murmured, ignoring me completely. He said to her, and said, "Leafpool…" but she just smiled, and said, "Before you ask, the answer is yes."

A broad smile spread across Crowfeather's face, and he tenderly planted a kiss on Leafpool's lips. I felt myself boil with anger as I stalked up to Leafpool and hissed, "You will pay for what you did..!"

 **End Chapter 5**

 **Ohhh, and Leafpool's been asked! There will be a lot more of this stuff in the later chapters. Cuteness galore, everybody! Fluff for all! Before you go, please leave a review! Byyeeee!**

 **Until next time!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	6. The Dark Forest

**Hexagon**

Chapter 6: The Dark Forest

 **Welcome back dear readers! This time, we're starting off in Breezepelt's POV. At this point of the story, things are going to start getting a little darker. Also, thank you to Icytopia for reviewing on every chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Breezepelt's POV:**

Gross. Ew. "Get a room!", I barked at the couple shamelessly making out. Lionblaze shot me a dirty look. Heathertail just smiled coyly, and my heart raced. I had had a crush on Heathertail for as long as I can remember, and seeing her making out with my _arch enemy_ was making my blood boil with anger.

I still found it difficult to believe that Lionblaze and I were cousins. We were almost nothing alike. Where he loved being in the spotlight and was always showing off, I preferred to stay in the shadows. I hated attention. What did Heathertail see in that golden haired fool?

I stalked off to my dorm in the Wind sector, wanting to be as far away from my sickening cousin as possible. It was always _Oh, Lionblaze this, oh Lionblaze that!_ It was disgusting. I arrived in front of my dorm door, and almost instantly, I felt my spirits lift. Lying on my doormat was a package, stamped with the words _FurySport Co._

I knew what the package was. Grinning wolfishly, I took it inside my room and opened it. Inside of the package was nothing but a bundle of ragged fabric and a mess of packing peanuts, but this wasn't important. I dumped the contents of the package out on the floor, leaving it for the housekeepers to clean, and found what I was looking for attached to the bottom of the box. It was a tightly furled scroll of paper. I unfurled the scroll and read the note that had just been delivered to me.

 _W12:_

 _Fight ring at 2100 hours. Attendance mandatory._

 _-DF_

I scoffed at the "attendance mandatory" part. Attendance was always mandatory. I didn't know why they bothered writing it. It was part of the deal when you joined the Dark Forest. Either you showed up for everything, or they had you hunted down and punished. A River boy named Reedwhisker was murdered because he thought the Dark Forest was a part time thing. The school certainly had a fun time hushing that up.

I made my way across the room and kicked several of the packing peanuts underneath my dresser. I opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a long, metallic box. Inside of it was a gleaming axe with a long handle, its large blade glinting cruelly. Since the axe was my main weapon, I wrapped several worn leather grips around the handle.

I dressed in a black muscle shirt with a vertical silver stripe going down the side, dark skinny jeans with silver studs, and a pair of battered black converse. I wore the standard fingerless gauntlets and utility belt, which had several daggers and a small gun fastened to it. My axe, which hung in its sheath, was strapped to my back.

Students were usually always allowed to roam around from 7pm to 10pm, so my walking around at 8:30 at night didn't raise too many eyebrows. I slipped around a corner at at the intersection between the Thunder and Wind sectors, I met up with another group of R-Fighters. R-Fighters was short for Recruited Fighters, or basically anyone who regularly trained in the Dark Forest, but wasn't permanently stuck there.

R-Fighters tended to travel in groups. I wasn't really sure why, because it attracted more attention from teachers, but I assumed it must be because the laser gates that sealed off the Dark sector became unstable if they were hacked into too often at a time.

This group consisted of Birchfall, Mousewhisker, Lionblaze (yay me), Harespring, Antpelt, and Heathertail. I rolled my eyes. I knew I should have gone earlier, maybe then I would have caught a different group. I silently joined them, and remembered when Ivypool and I would walk to the Training Hall together.

She had probably been the only person I could safely confide in while I was at the Dark Forest. We understood each other. I kept her secrets and she kept mine. I had even wished that we were more than friends more than once.

I stopped there. Thinking about what had happened to Ivypool brought back a fresh wave of painful memories. I was probably one of the few people who really knew why Ivypool had been cast out, if not the only person, excluding the Dark Forest leaders.

The Dark Forest was lead by four people, and their inner circle of Elites, who acted as their advisors. Elite was probably the highest achievable rank in the Dark Forest. The leaders were Brokenstar, who was ultimately in charge, and his closest warriors, Tigerstar, Hawkfrost, and Mapleshade.

We arrived at the laser gates that sealed off the Dark sector far sooner than I expected. The barrier of light burned brightly in the dark. I had made the mistake of touching the laser gate once. It had burned the skin right off my palm. Thankfully, Spottedleaf, who was head doctor, hadn't asked too many questions.

Harespring, who was the tallest, only just managed to reach the control box that was fastened to the ceiling. With spidery fingers, he disconnected the electric circuit that kept the laser gate up. Slowly, the barrier began to fade. I knew that once Harespring reconnected the circuit, we would have exactly 8.2 seconds to cross until the barriers went up again.

The seven of us crossed with ease, and after rounding several corners, we arrived at a pair of soundproof, steel plated doors. They automatically opened, and as I entered, I saw Tigerstar flash me a toothy grin. "Cutting it close, eh, Breezepelt?" I ignored him and glanced at the large television screen to see my matchup. I was fighting against a River sophomore named Hollowflight.

Inside of the Training Hall were many fighting courts, students and Dark Forest warriors alike beating each other bloody. The large court usually reserved for group fights was currently empty. I was fighting on court 14 B. When I arrived, my opponent was already there.

Hollowflight was a chubby boy with dull brown hair and watery blue eyes. His weapon was a chunky sword with a slightly dull blade. I smirked. This would be easy.

Hollowflight was fearful as he waited for me to make my move. After I realized that he was just going to wait, I sighed and drew my weapon. I stepped forward, and swept the blade forward, but to my surprise, Hollowflight jumped back and parried the blow. I found out rather quickly that we were pretty evenly matched as we exchanged blows. Suddenly, Hollowflight hit the weapon out of my hand. I cursed angrily, and only just ducked as he was about to take off my head.

As Hollowflight wildly swung his weapon, I saw an opening. With a grunt of effort, I charged forward and headbutted him square in the chest. Hollowflight stumbled back, and I seized the opportunity, and kicked him hard in the face. Hollowflight screamed in agony as his nose shattered. Blood was gushing down his face in streams. I seized my discarded axe from the floor and cracked the blunt end over his head.

Hollowflight crumpled to the floor in a bloody mess. I exhaled sharply, before turning and walking away. I didn't look back.

 **End Chapter 6**

 **Thank you so much for reading! I know this chapter was a bit shorter.**

 **Hollowflight: I am NOT weak!**

 **Me: Ummm yeah you are. I made you lose. Don't tempt me to do it again.**

 **Hollowflight: ::sits in pouty silence::**

 **Me: ::cracks knuckles:: Heh. Works every time. Again thanks for reading! Please leave a review, and I'll see you soon! Byyyeee!**

 **Until next time!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	7. Fallen Leaves

**Hexagon**

Chapter 7: Fallen Leaves

 **Welcome back to my world of fantasies. Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed! Without further ado, on with the fic!**

 **Hazeltail's POV:**

I slid into a seat in the Dining Hall, and was about to take a large bite out of my chicken and rice, when Bluestar rose from her seat and called for attention. I grudgingly set my heaping spoon back on my plate, and turned to face Bluestar.

Bluestar had long, glossy, hair in a deep shade of blue, so dark it was almost black. Her eyes were a pretty glacial blue. She was dressed in a white blouse and dark blue blazer, with white dress pants and dark blue pumps.

She cleared her throat loudly. "Good afternoon, students. I hope you all had a productive morning." I rolled my eyes. Yeah. I had a productive morning, if you count dying of boredom in Mousefur's lectures about the InterClan Treaty productive. But seriously. Who knew that ancient warriors were such drama queens? They started wars about everything!

"I'm sure you're all aware that in a few days time, the game against BloodClan Academy takes place. This afternoon, the BloodClan Academy players will arrive on campus. They will be residing in the guest rooms in the Central Sector. Please welcome them into the academy and show them kindness as well as respect. That is all."

I finished my meal and dumped the empty plates into the massive sinks in the corner of the room. Then I returned to my seat, hoisted my backpack over my shoulder, and left to go to my next class. My next class was Language Arts with Ferncloud. The subject itself was deathly boring, but Ferncloud was one of the nicest teachers at the school.

When I arrived, the classroom was already half full, and I settled myself into my seat in the second row. I took my books out of my bag and spread them over my desk. Just before the tardy bell, I saw Foxleap sprint into the room, take a running jump, and land right in his seat behind me, all before the bell rang. I rolled my eyes with a smile. Typical Foxleap. I saw Ferncloud run an exasperated hand over her face and sigh.

"Alright class, now that we're all here, we can begin the lesson.", she said, regaining her composure. "This unit, we will be doing a project on character arcs. Can anyone tell me what a character arc is?" Hollyleaf's hand shot high into the air. Ferncloud looked pleased. "Yes Hollyleaf?"

Hollyleaf took a deep breath and said, "A character arc is the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. If a story has a character arc, the character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a different sort of person in response to changing developments in the story."

Ferncloud smiled proudly. "Well done, Hollyleaf. Now that we know what a character arc is, we can begin the project." Dovewing's hand was waving wildly in the air. "Oohh, miss! Will this be a single or partner project?" Ferncloud gave Dovewing another brilliant smile. "This will be a partner project, but I will be assigning you to your partners. I'll get to that in a moment." I noticed, that as Ferncloud said 'assigned partners' that Dovewing and Rosepetal tightly held hands.

"In this project, I will assign each pair with a book. It is your job to read the book, find the main character's character arc, and write an essay about it. You are also expected to make a poster concerning that character's journey." The students gave disappointed groans as the word 'essay' left Ferncloud's mouth.

Ferncloud rolled her eyes. "I will now be reading off the partner pairs.", she announced, and immediately, the class went quiet. She read off the pairs one by one. "... Thornclaw and Blossomfall, and finally, Hazeltail and Foxleap."

Foxleap gave a whoop and jumped on his chair. Ferncloud stood up, smashed her fist down on her desk, and barked, "Foxleap, control yourself!" The ginger haired boy reluctantly quieted and sat down. I couldn't help but grin at his antics. He really was one of a kind.

XxxX

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

I couldn't believe who I had been paired with. I mean, she sits at my table at meals, but I certainly wasn't close to her. I was paired with Dovewing. Lazy, airheaded, naive Dovewing. If I knew anything about her, it was obvious that I was going to be the one who did all the work.

The bell rang and signalled our dismissal, and I left the room as quickly as I could. I walked fast, with my head down and my eyes narrowed into slits. I wasn't normally like this. I wasn't one to backstab my friends, or spread rumors about someone behind their back. But with Dovewing, I found it difficult to even consider her a proper friend and not just someone you walk past in the hallway.

My book bag weighed heavy on my shoulders, and I inwardly kicked myself for loading up on so many books in the library. But hey! Calculus, chemistry, and sociology are all important subjects. I threw a casual glance at my apple watch, and my eyes widened. I had less than thirty seconds to get to science!

I gulped and took off in a frenzied sprint. The other students were giving me weird looks as I zipped past, and I felt my cheeks flush in embarrassment. I was Hollyleaf, for Star's sake! I'm never late!

I lowered my head again, suddenly very fascinated in how my blue flats pounded the floor, when it happened. I collided very hard with a tall figure. I fell to the floor with a _whump,_ the books that I had been clutching flying everywhere. I watched as Advanced Calculus went tumbling down the hallway. I looked up, wanting to get the apology over with so I could make it to class on time, and felt my jaw drop.

He wasn't a giant by any means, but he was a couple of inches taller than me, with broad shoulders and tousled auburn hair. I felt my cheeks heat up, and I looked down, trying to avoid his brilliant green gaze. I wanted to scold myself. _Well done, Hollyleaf! Out of all the people you could have run into, it had to be a hot junior who probably thinks you're some weird girl who's so rude that she can't even be bothered to look him in the face and apologize! He probably wants nothing to do with yo-_ "Hey….um.. Are you alright? That looked like quite the fall."

I looked up at him. He looked genuinely concerned as he picked a book off of the ground and handed it to me. He stretched out his hand, and helped me up. I grasped his hand tightly and scrambled to my feet. "I'm so sorry!", I said. "I was being reckless, and inconsiderate, and really rude.. And you could have gotten hurt, and I really don't want that, and you're such a nice guy, and you don't deserve that…", I rambled.

"No harm done.", he reassured me. "My name's Fallen Leaves. And you?" My eyes widened in surprise. I hadn't thought he'd want anything to do with me. I gladly shook his outstretched hand. "I'm Hollyleaf.", I said. "Nice to meet you."

XxxX

 **Foxleap's POV:**

I felt l was on sugar high as I ran into my next class. I was paired with Hazeltail for the project! And she's one of the hottest girls in my grade. I felt my phone vibrate in the back pocket of my jeans, and I pulled out my phone. The text was from Hazeltail.

 _Hey, do u want 2 meet for the project after classes?_

I grinned. After classes we usually had free time to do whatever we liked, unless we were on a special schedule or had an assembly. I typed back:

 _Sure, where?_

Her response was almost instant:

 _Common room?_

 _Cool by me._ I wrote.

 _Wait. The common room will be crowded after classes. Is it okay if we go to the library? We should have access to all the books, which will be helpful._

I smiled as I read her text. I hadn't thought of that. That was probably one of my favorite things about Hazeltail. She wasn't just a pretty face. She had brains and guts. I admire that in a person.

I shook my head vigorously. I was getting all sentimental. Oh well. I guess Hazeltail brings out that part of me.

 **End Chapter 7**

 **Thank you for reading, people. I don't know why, but I always imagined Dovewing and Hollyleaf as enemies, mostly because Dovewing practically** _ **stole**_ **Hollyleaf's spot on the Power of Three. Where I always found Dovewing lazy and immature, Hollyleaf was hardworking and clever. She always knew exactly what she was capable of and what she wanted to be. I feel like Hollyleaf got the boot because the Erins couldn't figure out where to weave her into the story, and then we got Dovewing.**

 **I'm sure you've noticed, but Dovewing isn't exactly my favorite character. Sorry, Dovewing fans. Please don't kill me. Don't forget to review! Byyeeee!**

 **Until next time!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	8. Icecloud's Date

**Hexagon**

Chapter 8: Icecloud's Date

 **Icecloud's POV:**

I glanced at my watch and almost immediately broke out in cold sweat. Out of all times to be late, I had to pick now? I almost ran into Brackenfur as I took a corner at full speed, jumped over a stray book bag, and skidded through the doorway that lead into the Thunder common room. The room was almost empty, but that didn't surprise me. It was a Friday afternoon, almost everyone was meeting up with friends. Rosepetal was one of the very few that stayed behind. She was curled up in an armchair, her nose buried into a book.

Toadstep was sitting at the tables in the corner, frowning slightly as he stared out of the second doorway. I suppressed a giggle. He hadn't noticed me yet. I crept up behind him on velvet feet, my steps not making a sound. He still hadn't turned around. I slipped my hands over his eyes, and I felt him tense up, then relax.

"Icecloud..", he breathed happily, and turned around. I gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry I'm late.", I said. He returned the smile without hesitation. "It's no problem.", he replied. I cleared my throat. "Sooo, um, should we get to work?", I asked awkwardly, reaching into my bag and pulling out my textbook. "Oh..um y-yeah. Probably a good idea.", he stuttered slightly.

I smiled at him. He was really cute sometimes. Then I flipped open the book. "What page do you think we should begin with?", I asked. "I've been having trouble with with perspective.", he mumbled. As I rifled through the pages, I began to make small talk. "So, what do you like about art?", I asked. "I really like how I have a lot of freedom as the artist.", he said shyly. I flipped through the art textbook until I finally arrived at the right page, and began to explain.

Toadstep listened attentively, drinking in my words, not wanting to miss anything. I couldn't say the same for me. My thoughts wandered, even as I spoke. Toadstep was always so sweet, kind, and considerate toward others. I knew him pretty well. We often spoke, exchanging words and even encouraging each other.

There was one tiny hitch, and it was me. I had a reputation to uphold as a badass. Although I genuinely enjoyed being tough, I hated the restrictions it put on me. I couldn't cry in front of others, nor could I admit that I felt for someone. I always had to be someone else's rock, someone's anchor. I had to be strong.

Only my closest friends, Hazeltail and Blossomfall knew that I liked Toadstep. No one else knew. Not even Toadstep himself.

"Icecloud?", Toadstep asked quietly. "Could you please repeat that? I'm not sure I understand." I blushed, feeling my cheeks heat up. In my distraction, I must have said something completely strange. I explained it hopefully correctly, before drawing some demonstrations. The tutoring session soon drew to a close, and I shoved my books into my bag. I was about to leave when Toadstep said, "Hey, uh, Icecloud?" I turned. "Yeah?", I asked, perplexed. Toadstep took a shaky breath before saying in a rush, "Doyouwanttogotothedancewithme?"

I quirked an eyebrow, feeling confused. "Pardon?" His fingers trembling, he said again, more clearly, "Do you want to go to the dance with me?"

My eyes widened, and a brilliant happiness radiated through me like a ray of warm sunshine. "Yes!", I cried. A broad smile spread over his face. "Great!", he exclaimed. "I'll pick you up at 8." The feeling of happiness didn't fade, even after he left. _Oh my StarClan! Toadstep just asked me out!_

XxxX

 **Mousewhisker's POV:**

I heavily took a seat at dinner. It had been a tiring day, running around, doing errands for teachers. Why the hell did I ever agree to being a teacher's assistant? Tonight's meal was savory pancakes with a noodle broth. I swiped a plate off the buffet setup, then tore my pancake into chunks and dunked them into the soup. Despite that my sister was shooting me looks of playful disgust as I made a mess, I had always considered pancakes a finger food.

The guys on the soccer team tended to sit together, and I was quickly joined by Lionblaze, Berrynose, Bumblestripe, Toadstep, and the rest of the guys. Toadstep looked absolutely giddy as he dug into his food. I looked at him in surprise.

"What's gotten into you?", I asked. His voice was energetic and happy as he answered. "Icecloud's my date to the dance!" "No way!", Bumblestripe exclaimed. "Seriously?" "Seriously!", he replied. Soon enough, the whole table had joined in.

"Congrats, dude!"

"I'm happy for you!"

Suddenly, our voices were drowned out by a low humming sound. "What the hell..?", I mumbled to myself as I peered out of the window. Something was flying towards us, and I recognized what it was almost immediately. It was a shuttle, which is sort of like a flying taxi cab. I peered at it closely, and as it got nearer, I could tell that this was no ordinary shuttle. The BCA logo, which is two crossed claws, was emblazoned in scarlet on the side.

I put my hands to the side of my head, trying to block the humming out, but it was no use. BloodClan was just annoying like that. I muttered under my breath, and quickly finished the rest of my food. I wanted to get out of here as fast as possible. Just then, my sister, Hazeltail, seemed to come out of nowhere. "That's the BloodClan kids!", she cried excitedly. "C'mon! Let's go meet them!" I grumbled under my breath. I wanted nothing to do with our rivals, not if I could help it. But Hazeltail was not to be deterred. And protesting all the way, I followed her.

 **End Chapter 8**

 **I'm sooorrrrryyyyy! I've totally been ignoring this story. I've decided that I would like to finish it. (of course, your reviews make me type faster…..) Thanks so much for reading! Byyyyeeeee!**

 **Until next time!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	9. Playing BloodClan

**Hexagon**

Chapter 9: Playing BloodClan

 **I am SOOO sorry! It's been way too long! I know it took me forever to update, I'm just working at my other fic, Rising Storm right now. (I would really appreciate it if you checked it out, btw) ANYWAY. Enough of my sorry excuses. On with the fic!**

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

Gritting my teeth, I forced my foot through the tight soccer sock. The material, which was light and dark blue ombre, was resilient. After a minute of strain, I got my heel into the sock, and then began pulling it up my leg. The rest from there was easy. I stuffed my shin guards into the socks and laced up the shiny new cleats that had been dangling from my toes, loose and untied. I pulled my backpack up from the floor and dropped in the newly refilled Hydro Flask as I slung it over my shoulder. In my wake, I left a trail of turf beads from the soccer field. I pitied the housekeeping staff that would have to take care of it.

The door to my dorm slid soundlessly shut behind me, and I hurried to catch Icecloud, who was just rounding a corner. I caught up with the blondine with ease, as she was one of those people who always walk absurdly slow.

"Hey, Icecloud!", I called, and she spun. "Cindy!", she squealed. "Oh-em-geeeee, you'll never believe what happened!" She was bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet as she continued, "Toadstep asked me to the dance!" Just then, Hazeltail ran out of her dorm and almost ran me over. Hazeltail isn't on the team, but because both of her brothers are, she often comes to our practices and warm-ups to watch.

"Did you finally face reality and realized that Lionblaze is taken?", Hazeltail teased, playfully prodding Icecloud. The golden haired girl pouted and puffed her cheeks. "I don't have to like a guy to think he's hot", she retorted. "Besides. I'm not the one mooning over Foxleap!" I rolled my eyes, and smoothed the creases in my black jersey. This had turned into such an intense argument so quickly.

"I'm not _mooning_ over anyone!"

"Right, says the girl who practically stalks his Instagram page!"

"Hah! That's rich, coming from you! Remember when you-"

"Guys!", I snapped, interrupting their little spat. "You guys are _friends._ Remember?" The two girls fell into moody silence, until Hazeltail said quietly, "Hey, Icecloud?"

"Hmmm?", came the response.

"I'm sorry I teased you about Lionblaze. I know you don't like him anymore. That was a low blow."

The blondine smiled. "And I'm sorry for bringing up Foxleap." It never ceased to amaze me how quickly the two of them made up. Immediately, the unfriendly tension in the air faded, and when we reached the gym in the Central Sector, we were all in high spirits. The gym was massive, taking up over half of the Central sector, with a basketball court that also doubled as a tennis and volleyball court, a rock climbing wall, and a full sized field. At the moment, Ashfur and some of the players that had arrived early were carrying the goals out of the storage closets.

Icecloud and I quickly dumped our bags by the others, and hurried over to help with the goals. Hazeltail had in the meantime found a comfortable spot in the bleachers (which, according to Berrynose, had been wheeled out earlier that morning), had pulled her sketch book out of her Kate Moss tote bag, popped some fresh graphite into her mechanical pencil, and began to scribble away.

The first goal, by now, was already in place, and I ran over to join the others with carrying the second one. I positioned myself by the far post, along with Ivypool, Mousewhisker, and Tawnypelt. I began to tug on the post, and with a moderate amount of effort, the goal began to lean. We eased it carefully into a horizontal position, and at a steady pace, made it to the other side of the field.

Just as the goal was being lowered back onto the ground, Ashfur called me over. I jogged across the field to meet him. He beckoned me to sit on the bench next to him. "There's been a change of plans.", he informed me. "You have your blue jersey, right?" I nodded. "It's in my bag.", I replied. Ashfur sighed. "Well, it turns out BloodClan is wearing black too, so we have to change. Unfortunately, Mousewhisker doesn't have his second jersey, so you're going to start instead of him."

Our trainer sighed and ran a hand absentmindedly through his shaggy black hair, before dismissing me to join the others. Just as I was joining the team huddle, Lionblaze came jogging up, his blue jersey draped over his arm. "Hey!", he called. "We need to change. Does everyone have their spare jersey?" With grumbles of complaint, the team dispersed to change, boys and girls each heading to their respective locker rooms. Mousewhisker groaned. "Man, I have the worst luck!", he complained, and stared at the clock. "Maybe if I hurry…"

Ashfur seemed to sense what he was thinking. "No.", he said sharply. "There's not enough time. You can go get it later." "But I wanted to be a starter!", he whined. Ashfur, however, had very little sympathy. "Maybe this will teach you a little responsibility.", he chided, rapping Mousewhisker sharply on the head. "Now sit down."

Just then, the doors on the other side of the gym slid open, and in walked no, more like strutted, a large group of unfamiliar people. The team only consisted of four girls and the rest were boys, but it was relatively easy to pick the four raven haired figures out of the swarm of boys. Their tops looked like they were a size too tight, their shorts only half as long as that of the boys. The BloodClan team's uniform consisted of black jerseys with a vertical red stripe going down the front, red shorts, and black socks. Without consulting the ref, the team took their places on the field, getting ready for kickoff.

We looked at each other and shrugged. If that was how they wanted to play, we could roll with that. As we headed onto the field to take up our positions, I felt my breath hitch with nerves. All of a sudden, my stomach was doing backflips inside of me. It felt as if it had just sunk in. I was the starting left forward against our school's biggest rival. Yeah, I'm about ready to throw up.

Just then, Lionblaze walked past me to take up his position as center forward. He grinned at me. "Relax.", he said. "You'll do great!" I gave him a weak smile in return. Thankfully, kickoff went by so quickly, it didn't give me enough time to worry. With a shrill blast on the referee's whistle, the game had been set in motion.

I was surprised at how well the BloodClan team played. The ball moved very quickly, each player only taking one or two touches at max. I could immediately tell that we were very well matched. My silver ponytail whipped around my face as I looked around. I quickly noticed that the right midfielder wasn't the best. His first touch was terrible, which almost always resulted in a bad pass.

I took advantage of this. He was about to receive the ball from the center mid, and saw him glance briefly over his shoulder to look at the right defender. Just as he took his touch (horrible, just as I had predicted) I put my legs into motion. He played the ball, aiming for the defender, but hadn't expected me being there to intercept it.

I dribbled a short distance, then got my head up. Two black players came in close, obviously attempting to double team me, when I caught a glimpse of a blue jersey. It was Ivypool. We made brief eye contact, and she seemed to understand, and without another second's hesitation, I kicked the ball hard in her direction.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I had had an inkling that she had understood. Ivypool took the ball out of the air with ease, and played it across the field to Lionblaze, who took a touch and tried to put it in the lower left corner of the goal. He missed. A groan of disappointment went up from the bleachers.

Ashfur had stood up. "Keep going like that!", he yelled. "Well done, Cinderheart!" I beamed. My feelings of nervousness were history. Just at that moment, Smokefoot had received the ball, and had his back to a stocky BloodClan player. The heavy set blond boy, who was number 18, was growing more irritated by the second, as he tried to wrestle my short, dark haired teammate off the ball with no success.

And then, it happened. With one movement, number 18 hooked his foot around Smokefoot's leg, and at the same time, used his shoulder to knock him off the ball by force. Smokefoot dropped like a bowling pin, landing sprawled face-first on the ground. Ashfur was beside himself with rage as he began to yell at the other team's coach. Angry _boo_ s rose from the spectators, and the referee ran over, furiously blasting on his whistle. He pulled number 18 aside, and began to speak with him sharply. After a heated argument, the ref had had enough, and he raised a red card high into the air. Immediately, the crowd began to cheer, and seething with anger, number 18 stormed off the field.

The game progressed this way, the two teams neck to neck, vying to score. I We got several good opportunities, and Bumblestripe got several amazing saves in, but other than that? The game was uneventful. And then, nearing the end of the game, the ref raising his arm into the air and yelled, "Five minutes left!"

It felt as if every sense had been kicked into overdrive. If I had thought the game had been intense before, it was nothing compared to now. Players were playing about ten times dirtier than before, the air filled with tension.

Played out of next to nowhere, the ball came soaring over my head, right into the defenders' feet. I had learned that the two center backs had piss poor communication, and as the two of them were silently arguing over the ball, I ran right through the middle of them, swiping the ball with ease while shouldering them both aside. The two boys were sent stumbling with the sheer force of the blow.

The field suddenly felt about ten times larger than it was. The whole green expanse of turf in front of me was suddenly massive. The opposing team's goalkeeper, in her bright orange goalie shirt, gave me a menacing glare, as if to say, _back off._ I glared right back. "Bring it.", I sneered. I was much closer to the goal now. I could see the fearful desperation in the other girl's face, but I didn't feel bad at all. "This is for Smokefoot", I snarled.

And then it happened. A black clad leg came out of next to nowhere. It swept my legs out from underneath me, and I was knocked into the air with the sheer momentum of it. Time seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time. One moment, I was flying, the next, I was crashing onto the ground with tremendous force.

I'm not sure exactly what happened. All I know is that my right foot definitely came down first. My foot was at a strange angle when I came down, and the next moment, before I knew what was happening, my entire weight was crashing down on my ankle. Pain, white hot and searing, shot through my leg. I gasped, letting myself collapse onto the ground.

I hardly dared look at my ankle as I pulled down the socks. It was twisted at a strange angle, foot dangling limply, and bruising spreading up my leg in all sorts of colors. Dark blue, indigo, purple, magenta...

I cautiously tried to move my foot, and instantly, it seemed, the pain tripled. I knew what had happened. It was broken and twisted, the bone cracked and splintered, the ligaments torn-

The world began to spin around me. Everything was getting blurry, as I saw Ashfur, his face pale with shock, run onto the field. I tried to sit up, force myself to stay awake, and the pain became excruciating, a sharp pounding that refused to go away. I gave in, and the world went black.

 **End Chapter 9**

 **I'm sorry :( Poor Cinderheart…**

 **I'm really sorry if you found the game hard to understand. When I'm writing, I tend to forget that not everyone plays the sport. It's like….it all makes sense to me, but I know that some people are probably going to struggle. If you enjoyed, please leave a review! They always make my day :D And if you didn't...well leave a review anyway, telling me what to fix. Byyyeeee!**

 **Until next time!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	10. Busted

**Hexagon**

Chapter 10: Busted

 **I'm baaaack! Hello dearies, and welcome! Thank you to the people who reviewed:**

 **Flamefur's Fire**

 **Jayfeather's Friend**

 **Rainy Spirit**

 **Clementime (guest)**

 **Guest**

 **Guest**

 **Thanks again! Now, let's get on with it, shall we?**

 **...**

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

Cinderheart slumped back onto the ground, and I could have sworn my heart stopped in mid-beat. The crowd had fallen into horrified silence, the shocked students gazing at each other open-mouthed. The ref ran over to Cinderheart's side, and called Ashfur onto the field. White as a sheet, our coach ran across the turf. He beckoned me over.

"She'll be fine.", he croaked. "She passed out from pain. She'll wake up soon." He met my gaze with surprising ferocity. "You need to take her to the hospital wing.", he hissed. "Go."

Without a moment's hesitation, I got my arms underneath her and picked her up. She was a dead weight in my arms. I hardly dared peek at her leg, and when I finally did, I felt my insides twist with rage. I narrowed my eyes, glowering at number 28, the tall, dark haired boy that had done it, and my fist clenched. Berrynose, who had been walking next to me, gave me a nudge.

"Don't.", he muttered. "It's not worth getting kicked out of the game for." "Since when are you so sensible?", I groused out. I got no reply, only the sound of knuckles angrily being cracked. "Since always. Do you honestly think I'd let you have all the fun?" I only narrowed my eyes, and set the silver haired girl down on the bench.

With a low groan, she stirred, and before I knew it, a pair of sapphire blue eyes were gazing at me. I kneeled down before her. "Can you walk?", I asked. "Not really.", she replied. "But I'll manage." She rested her hand on my shoulder. "Is this okay?", she asked shyly. I nodded. As if I would actually say no. Leaning on me, she pulled herself to her feet. "Let's go."

Just then, the ref blasted on his whistle, and jogged up before Ashfur. "Coach, you're a player down. You need to put someone in." He rose to his feet, narrowing his eyes at the other coach, a burly white haired man named Bone. "It doesn't matter.", Ashfur snarled. "We forfeit."

The crowd exploded. Students were in a state of outrage, waving banners and screaming in protest. Even the players on the bench were looking at each other in horror. "Coach, are you crazy?", Icecloud yelled. "We can't forfeit! We can still win!" Ashfur rose to his feet, his voice dangerously quiet as he growled, "I refuse to watch another one of my players get hurt in this pathetic excuse for a soccer match. The reckless way the other team is playing is outrageous."

Bone rose to his feet and outright laughed. "You never stood a chance. Your team is pitiful. You should be relieved that you didn't receive a much worse beatdown."

I had never seen Ashfur truly lose his temper until now. He stormed forward, and punched Bone hard across the face. His nose broke, blood running down his face. The white haired man raised his fist, preparing to strike back, and the ref ran in between.

"Gentleman!", the referee cried in horror. "Please control yourselves!" I itched to join the fight, but Berrynose tugged on my arm. "We need to get out of here. Things are about to get ugly." Cinderheart nodded in agreement. "Let's go.", she urged. I sighed, and complied. I've always hated turning my back on a fight, especially when someone I care about is involved. I don't put up with Brokenstar and the rest of the ridiculous Dark Forest just so I can sit on the sidelines when things like this happen.

With Cinderheart leaning heavily on my shoulder, and Berrynose walking in silence, despite the fact that he was spilling over with things to say, the short walk to the hospital wing was less than pleasant. My legs burned. I only realized now that my shins were covered in bruises, and a shallow cut on the back of my calf was oozing little droplets of blood. With my free hand, I rolled up my socks. I didn't need Leafpool seeing it. She would surely make a massive fuss over nothing and call Ashfur irresponsible or whatever. I had never known my mother, but if this is what they acted like, I was somewhat relieved I hadn't.

When we were almost there, Cinderheart asked shyly if we could stop for a moment. Her breathing had become fast and shallow, as if she was fighting back tears. I glanced at her leg, and instantly felt a pang. The already crooked ankle was even more twisted than before, and the bruising had spread over the top of her foot. "Do you want me to carry you?", I asked sharply. She seemed almost tempted to agree, but then shook her head. "It's not much further. I can hold out for a little more.", she mumbled.

"Wow.", Berrynose whispered in my ear. 'She's even more stubborn than you." "Cram it.", I muttered back, and Berrynose laughed. I pushed open the door to the medic common room. Inside, the floor was made out of a clear, heavily reinforced glass. Lining the walls were minimalist style couches with sharp, clean lines. In the center of it all was a low glass table strewn with magazines. On the far side of the room, Spottedleaf, who was a pretty brunette with a heart shaped face and leaf green eyes, was sitting behind a desk in a black leather swivel chair. She was leafing idly through a fashion magazine.

She looked up as we entered, and her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my stars, what in the world happened?", she cried. "A bad foul happened.", Cinderheart mumbled. "BloodClan played dirty." Spottedleaf groaned, shaking her head. "They always play dirty.", she fumed. "Why they're still part of the InterClan Academy Classic is beyond me." On Spottedleaf's orders, the silver haired girl sank onto a couch. With light fingers, Spottedleaf rolled down the socks and examined it.

Then, after several minutes, the brunette pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Did you walk here?", she asked. Cinderheart nodded sheepishly. "Bad move.", Spottedleaf scolded. "You might have injured it more. You're Sorreltail's daughter, alright. You're every bit as stubborn." Her voice softened. "Try moving your toes.", she instructed.

Cinderheart did as she was told, although her foot only twitched slightly. Spottedleaf ran a hand through her hair. "It's a pretty severe fracture.", she informed her. Offering her hand, she carefully helped Cinderheart stand.

"It's only a couple of yards.", she said. "You should be able to manage it. Make sure to keep that foot completely immobilized. Don't move it at all." With Spottedleaf's help, Cinderheart limped out of the room. The medic turned back to look at us. "Thank you for bringing her.", she said. The door fell shut.

….

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

"What?", I cried. "Cinderheart broke her ankle?" The creamy cheesecake I had been in the middle of eating suddenly tasted like glue in my mouth. I pushed the plate away. Not even Daisy's famous New York style cheesecake with strawberry compote could take my mind off of the topic. My brother nodded, pushing a lock of reddish blond hair out of his eyes.

"It's ridiculous.", he growled angrily. "The guy didn't even get a card. And to top it off, Ashfur made us forfeit, so that's an automatic 3:0 loss. And now, all the BloodClan people are sitting in _our_ dining hall, probably having a good laugh about all of it."

He glared at the table in the center of the room, where the BloodClan team was sitting. They were talking way louder than necessary, although it didn't surprise me. They probably wanted the rest of the school to hear all about our team's loss. Lionblaze had stopped talking, and was instead listening intently. Following his example, I strained my ears.

"...their team was pathetic. They couldn't even hold a candle to us! Those seshoeks are lucky we only won by three points. Scoring points was so easy!" My brother gritted his teeth. "You didn't snag a single point, douchebag!", he groused. Someone at the table said something unintelligible. "Oh, you mean that silver haired chick? Yeah, she was so weak, I don't know why she bothered. It only took one sweep to take her out. Damn, Steelclaw, you should have seen the expression on her face. Priceless!"

There was the loud screech of a chair being violently pushed back, and my brother rose out of his seat. He stormed across the dining hall, eyes smouldering with fury. My hand covered my face. "Idiot…", I groaned. Peeking through my fingers, I saw him seize the black haired boy by the collar. "You take that back.", he snarled. By now the boy had recovered from his initial shock. "And if I don't, filthy seshoek?", he sneered. "What are you going to do then?" "This.", my brother retorted. He drew back his fist, and smashed it right across his face. "Remember me, _Jaggedtooth?",_ he growled. "You couldn't take me before. What makes you think that you can take me now?"

"No way…", Jaggedtooth breathed, wiping away the blood that was trickling from his split lip. "Lionblaze?" "That would be me.", my brother snarled. "You have no idea how badly you just screwed up." Another punch, and Jaggedtooth seemed to finally have gathered his wits and started fighting back.

The students had gathered in a circular formation around the two boys. Porcelain plates fell to the floor and smashed, tables were overturned, a vase of flowers shattered, the pretty tulips crushed beyond recognition.

"ENOUGH!", came a roar from the doorway. Heads turned to see a furious Firestar storming into the room. "Lionblaze.", he snapped, turning to him. "Double detention for a week, and I want to see in my office right away. This is ridiculous behavior." He turned to Jaggedtooth. "This is the second fistfight your team has gotten into today. I'm afraid that we can't allow to stay at Hexagon Academy any longer. You're causing a serious disturbance. Go pack. You have until 8:00 tonight." He beckoned to Lionblaze. "You. Come with me."

 **End Chapter 10**

 **Oooooooohh….someone's busted…**

 **I hope you all enjoyed! As always, please review! You're all awesome! Byyeee!**

 **Until next time!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	11. Ivypool's Secret

**Hexagon**

Chapter 11: Ivypool's Secret

 **Howdy everyone! Welcome back! A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed!**

 **Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **Hazelstar of LightningClan**

 **Guest**

 **Tigercry**

 **Flame That Burns In The Dark**

 **Nixie (guest): Yes, they do have a history. Also, seshoek just means hexagon. It's an offensive term that rival schools use. You'll probably see it pop up again.**

 **Alrighty! Let's get on with the fic, shall we?**

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

Crap. That's all I think, although I really should have seen this coming from a mile away. WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?! Oh, right. I wasn't thinking. Fury at Jaggedtooth for trash talking Cinderheart was the only thing on my mind.

The Dining Hall was silent as Firestar stalked out of the hall, beckoning for me to follow. I could practically feel the simmering anger radiating off of the ginger haired teacher. I blew a lock of hair out of my face and shoved my hands into my pockets. I was wondering if I would get to leave of my own free will, or if they would stick me in the Dark Sector with Brokenstar and his cronies. The thought made me shiver. Dealing with that scar eyed freak only once every couple days was bad enough. I think I'd go insane if I had to spend every waking minute with him.

After several minutes of walking in silence, we had reached Firestar's office. He pushed open the door, letting me in first. Firestar's office was comfortably furnished, with a soft maroon carpet and dark wood furniture. Behind his desk was a bookshelf filled with thick leather volumes, and student graduation pictures hung from the wall. The largest picture was that of a beaming group of Thunder students, triumphantly waving their diplomas.

He gestured for me to sit in the hard-backed chair that stood in front of his desk. I did as I was told. The chair was unforgivingly hard, and as Firestar sank into his cozy, maroon velvet swivel chair, I tried to get comfortable. I couldn't. I had barely been sitting for a minute and my tailbone already ached.

The ginger sighed. "Well. You know why you're here, surely?" I nodded. "That was an unacceptable and reckless thing to do. Not only was it dangerous and made us look bad, but it also broke some half a dozen school rules.", he scolded. "I just want to know, why? What drove you to attack him like that?"

I stared down at the floor, suddenly very interested in the laces of my dark red sneakers. "That ass trash talked Cinderheart.", I muttered. "They were laughing at how he hurt her." Firestar had grown silent, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. I ignored him, and cracked my knuckles on the table. "He deserved what he got.", I snarled. "I don't regret my actions, even if they were wrong."

I looked Firestar square in the face. "Are you going to stick me in the Dark sector?", I asked quietly. He rubbed at his temples. "Your actions were very wrong, and you will be punished. But the reason behind it was one that meant well. Your intentions were noble, but the way you went about it was bad." He grinned at me. "Next time, a simple verbal beatdown will suffice."

He pulled a red slip out of his desk drawer and scribbled something down on it. He handed it to me. "This is your detention slip.", he informed me. "Every day for a week, you'll report to Professor Purdy to file, dust, and organize his history books and documents, and you'll do so without complaint. At the end of the week, have him sign it and bring it back to me so I can let you off the hook." I thanked Firestar, feeling the nervous knot in my stomach loosen. It wasn't that bad.

"One more thing.", Firestar said. I turned back to face him. "Cinderheart will need someone to help her manage while her ankle heals. Since you care about her so much, you'll be the one to do it." Oh crap. The last thing I needed was to make a fool of myself in front of Cinderheart…

"B-but Professor… don't you think Hollyleaf might be a better choice?" He gave me a knowing grin. "Nervous, are we?", he teased. "Don't worry. You'll blow her away." I felt my cheeks burn.

"It isn't like that!"

….

 **Ivypool's POV:**

I sat cross legged on my bed and and sharpened the pathetic stump that remained of my cherished knives. I remembered the day clearly. The first time I had been to the Dark Forest. I remembered how naive I had been back then, convinced of how Brokenstar would make me a formidable fighter. At least, that had been what I told myself, although deep down, I knew the true reason I was there. Jealousy.

It had always been, _Oh Dovewing this, oh Dovewing that!_ and _Look at how pretty your sister is!_ I scowled at the ceiling. Dovewing had always been the beautiful, flawless sibling, with her fine pale blond hair and perfect grades. Me? I was the ugly duckling. Nothing special. Nothing worth looking at.

So I suppose, I could blame my sister for the mess I'm in, but deep down, I knew it was my fault. I couldn't pin the fault on her and live with myself.

The day I had joined, my fifteen year old self had made a beeline straight for a belt made of pliable black leather, with three different hunting knives strapped to it. My favorite had been the fourth one. It had resembled a saber, with a curved, wicked blade. The handle had been designed to look like the head of a snarling tiger. I pushed my hand under the bed, and retrieved the black leather belt. Even caked in dust and devoid of weapons, the silver embroidery still glinted, reminding the onlooker of its former glory. As I ran my fingers over the supple leather, I wished I had never had it in the first place.

 _Flashback:_

 _I patted the side of my belt, reassured by the presence of Sabertooth. It was the name I had given my tiger-headed blade. I could feel eyes pinned to the back of my moto jacket, but I was used to it. One by one, I met their stares, and each of them quickly looked away. I was feared and respected. However, the horrified expressions on people's faces when they found out I was their next opponent never cease to amuse me._

 _After beating my last opponent, a cocky River senior hospital-ripe, Brokenstar had given me an approving purr. He drew a small handgun from his belt, and fired a shot. I can only assume it was only powder and no bullet, but knowing Brokenstar, I couldn't be sure._

 _The way all the fighting stopped was downright eerie. I saw Breezepelt release a Thunder sophomore from a chokehold and head over. He gave me a nod of acknowledgement and mouthed, "Good luck." I gave him a small smile in return._

" _Antpelt.", came Brokenstar's cold, high voice. "Step forward." Antpelt was a burly junior from Wind who was infamous for thrashing his opponents without mercy. He carried a Japanese rapier with a cleaver like blade and a piece of red silk tied around the thick handle. It hung from his back in a metallic black sheath. He smiled roguishly at the tittering Shadow girls that clutched at his muscular arms. "This'll only take a sec.", he rumbled at them._

" _Don't get cocky.", I snapped. "Let's get on with it. I have better things to do." Brokenstar shot me a look that clearly told me to shut up and show some respect, but I pretended not to see it. The warriors had formed a circle around us. Brokenstar's eyes glinted in the fluorescent lights. "This is a death match.", he sneered. "No holding back. You may begin."_

 _Antpelt wasted no time, charging at me with the force of a wild steer. I stepped quickly out of the way, and drew quickly drew Sabertooth. I caught a glimpse of red silk, and spun just in time to block a near fatal blow from the rapier. For a brute of his size, Antpelt was surprisingly agile._

 _The metal came together with a resounding crash. I sprang back. Where Antpelt was larger and stronger, I was faster and more accurate. I dodged a quickly blow, feinted to the left, and delivered a sharp blow to his hulking shoulder. Sabertooth sliced through the tee shirt like a hot knife through butter. Antpelt screamed in pain, and a spray of blood caught me in the face. The crimson liquid ran in streams down my forehead and pooled at my brow._

 _I didn't have the time to brush it away. Antpelt had recovered quickly, and raised the rapier above his head, preparing to cleave me in half. I parried just in the nick of time. I had been knocked onto my knees with the force of the blow, and my arms trembled as I fought to keep the blade away from my head. Antpelt grinned, and applied more pressure. My arms were about to give out._

 _The solution came in flash. I twisted my body, and in one swift movement, had knocked Antpelt's legs out from under him. He crashed to the floor, his sword thrown out of his hand. The blade clattered to the ground. Relief flooded through me, and I ran my hands along the belt, trying to decide which blade would be used end Antpelt's life._

 _Antpelt, in the meantime, had risen to his feet again. Before I knew what was happening, his hands were around my neck, crushing my windpipe. I could feel my eyes bulge and my body start to tense up. Black spots swam in my vision. The other Dark Forest members had began to laugh, berating me for letting my guard down. I caught Brokenstar smirk._

 _Rage built up inside me. I REFUSED to go out like this. I brought up my knee, and slammed it into Antpelt's groin with as much force as I could muster. The pressure on my throat slackened immediately, and I took long, grateful gulps of the cold, sweet air. Antpelt was doubled over, and I grasped the back of his head firmly. I could hear him gasp, but it was sharply cut off and replaced by another scream. I had smashed my knee right into his nose. I heard a sickening crunch, and blood splattered over my knees. I kicked him to the floor, and pinned him underneath me. I slid a knife from my belt and prepared to send the cocky Wind junior to the afterlife._

" _Finish it, Ivypool." Brokenstar's voice was tight with poorly concealed rage. Somehow, hearing him say that to me like I was some kind of animal at his disposal, pushed me over the edge. I stepped back, shoving the knife back into its sheath. "No.", I growled, gazing impressively around the circle. "I'm stronger. I won't kill this boy for you." I tore the black leather choker with the Dark Forest symbol emblazoned on it from my neck, throwing it onto the floor. I ground it under my boot, and kicked it so it landed at Brokenstar's feet. "You can have this back. I'm done."_

 _..._

 _I woke up with a throbbing headache. I felt at the back of my skull, and found a lump under my fingers. When I pulled my hand back, my fingertips were slick with blood. I was locked in a tiny closet in the Wind sector, my legs piled up against the wall because there wasn't room for them on the floor. I was almost naked, wearing nothing but my leather belt. My torso was covered in bloody gashes, and my skin burned as if on fire. But this wasn't the worst of it. Slashed into my shoulder, was the silhouette of a snarling cat. My own blood dripped from its fangs and claws. By carving their symbol into my flesh, they had marked me as their inferior for the rest of my life. I wouldn't let them control me. I groped at my belt for a knife to pick the lock, but my fingertips found nothing. All that was left of my knife was a jagged stump._

 _Flashback End_

 **End Chapter 11**

 **Yay! A new chapter! I thought I'd give a little insight on Ivypool's past and why she got kicked out. For the record, Ivypool is NOT a sadist. She enjoys the terror of others because she herself is insecure, and knowing that she is respected and feared eases her insecurities. Thanks so much for reading, everyone! Please review, I appreciate them all. Byyyyeeeee!**

 **Azra out!**


	12. The Pool

**Hexagon**

Chapter 12: The Pool

 **Hi there, everyone! Welcome back, and thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! Thank you to:**

 **Moonbreeze3**

 **Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **iDragonSpyro**

 **Guest**

 **Stormbreeze: Thank you for pointing that out. I'm going to say this again, for the benefit of anyone else who might have been confused: when I said "jagged stump" I didn't mean her hand. Her hand is fine, not to worry. Brokenstar, being the jerkwad he is, snapped her knives to spite her.**

 **Jayfeather's POV:**

It was breakfast on a Monday morning. Big whoop. The few students who were at breakfast at 7:30 am were blearily wandering around the Hall, still half asleep. I noticed that the jock's table in the center of the room was unusually quiet. Normally, Lionblaze and his friends would be making obnoxious noises and creating a ruckus. Not today.

That morning, Daisy and Millie were serving up cheese danishes dusted in powdered sugar, my personal favorite. To top it off, I piled on a mound of sliced strawberries and a generous dollop of yogurt. After emptying a can of whipped cream onto my hot chocolate, I sat down and began to eat.

I had just plugged my dying phone into it's charger when I heard the soft _swish_ of a sports jersey. Before I knew what was happening, I was hit by an overpowering wave of Axe Apollo. I gagged, waving a hand before my nose.

"Blaze, you seriously need to turn it down a notch with the man perfume", I choked out. "It's deodorant", he shot back. "You should try some."

"Funny.", I retorted. "No, seriously. I can't even taste my food anymore, it's that strong."

"Sorry. Too much?"

"YES."

"It wasn't my idea. It was hers." I took a deep breath, and somehow working through the cloud of Axe that was now surrounding our table, detected the unmistakable scent of green apples.

"Hollyleaf?", I asked. "You put him up to this?"

"Not put up!", my brother interjected. "More like forced."

I could practically see the two of them exchanging poisonous glares, just like they had done when we were children. It was somehow nice to know that some things never change.

"Shouldn't you be shoving your tongue down Heathertail's throat?", Hollyleaf snapped.

"Shouldn't you be kissing up to the teachers and begging for extra credit?", he retorted.

"No, but you should be. Your grades could use it."

"Oh, just how you need a social life?"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"No, y-"

"Both of you, shut up!", I barked. It was nice to know that they would never change, but their pointless bickering was getting on my nerves. Hollyleaf suddenly leaned on the table, her voice taking on that sing-song tone she only used when she wanted to make fun of my brother. "Lionblaze got a daaaate!" I looked up in interest. "Is that why you and Heathertail aren't exchanging spit every waking moment?"

Lionblaze let out an indignant _hmpf._ "We don't do that. Besides, it's not a date. Firestar wants me to help Cinderheart while her ankle heals. That's all." Hollyleaf sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed. "It's a shame, really. She likes you a lot, you know."

Lionblaze choked on his rasher of bacon. "Where the hell did you get that from?!" "She told me", Hollyleaf said matter-of-factly. "Duh."

"Oh, right", I muttered, taking a bite of the cheese danish. "I forgot you guys are roommates." Just then, I heard the doors to the hall creak open, and a soft patter of footsteps sounded. I noticed that the person was favoring one foot, somewhat dragging the other one. I heard someone slide into the last open seat at our table. I smelled the sweet, cool aroma of fresh mint, and immediately knew who it was.

"Hey, Cinderheart", I said, my mouth opening in a yawn. "You've heard about Lionblaze?" She made a small noise of confusion. "You mean how Firestar wants him to help me out a bit? Yeah, I heard. Lionblaze, you really don't have to. I can manage on my own." "It's okay.", he reassured her. "I'm glad to help."

"Are you okay, Cinderheart?", Hollyleaf asked. "That looks uncomfortable." "What looks uncomfortable?", I asked. Sometimes I really hate being blind. "My temporary cast. I'm getting it taken off in a couple hours." She reached down to rub at the tough material. "Thank StarClan. It's really itchy." I popped a strawberry into my mouth and asked, "How long will it take to heal?"

"Please don't talk with your mouth full", Hollyleaf reprimanded. I could almost hear the eye roll in her voice. I ignored her and focused my attention on Cinderheart. "Around 4 to 8 weeks", she sighed. Then, as to brighten the mood, she said, "Hey, why don't we go to the pool after I get my brace? Braces are waterproof, so I should be able to swim in it." "Yeah!", Lionblaze cheered. "The pool sounds great!" He paused briefly, as if considering his words. "Hey, can I invite the guys?" Hollyleaf shrugged. "Sure. I'll bring the girls."

I finished off my strawberries and stood up to dump my plates. I had to admit, the pool sounded really fun.

….

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

A few hours later, we were in the Central Sector, heading to the pool. I was barefoot, walking directly on the dark blue carpet. I half expected Hollyleaf to reprimand me or a random teacher to pass and give me detention. As if I didn't already have enough of those.

Thankfully, if Hollyleaf was annoyed by my lack of footwear, she kept it to herself. She and Cinderheart, along with Icecloud, Hazeltail, and Blossomfall were walking a little in front of us, giggling and casting cheeky glances at us. Harespring elbowed me in the ribs, and I retaliated by promptly shoving him into a wall.

"What?", I asked. He shoved me back. "Yo, Blaze. The new chick, the one with the silver hair, do you like her?" I stopped in my tracks. "..why?", I asked slowly. Harespring ignored my previous question and went on. "She's one hot piece of ass. I'd fuck that any day." "No", I snapped. "If you want to get laid, go ask Sunstrike. If I see you so much as touch her-" "StarClan, I get it! Sheesh." Harespring slunk off. I walked next to Mousewhisker as I hissed, "Remind me why we invited him again?" "We didn't", he said without looking up. "He invited himself."

We reached the pool doors, and we pushed into the room beyond. The pool was in a large, spacious room with wide windows. On one side lay the steaming jacuzzi and the changing rooms. Racks of fluffy towels hung from the wall. On the other side lay the huge, inviting pool. The tiled bottom gleamed under the water's glasslike surface. Of course, it didn't stay that way for long. Foxleap took a running start, and cannonballed into the calm water. A massive splash rose from the pool, the water slopping wildly over the sides. Poppyfrost shrieked as her new rhinestone-studded flip-flop wedges were engulfed in a flood of chlorine water.

I laughed as the mischievous ginger resurfaced, only to face the furious Poppyfrost's wrath. The other girls, meanwhile, had disappeared into the changing rooms. I pulled off my shirt and draped it over one of the poolside recliners. I saw the other guys beginning to do the same. Just then, the changing room doors reopened, and the girls walked out.

Hollyleaf was dressed in a strapless one piece bathing suit, the dark blue material held up by a golden ring around her neck. She was wearing golden hoop earrings, and around both wrists was a wide gold colored cuff bracelet. Cinderheart was in a mint green two piece, with a bandeau top and a black trim. She wasn't wearing any jewelry, and her hair was tied up in a high ponytail. Her entire lower leg was encased in a bulky black boot.

It took all of my self control to keep my eyes firmly fixed on the silverette's face and to keep them from wandering any lower. Hollyleaf was giggling uncontrollably into her palm. Knowing my sister and her annoying habit of playing Cupid, I should have guessed that she would try to get me and Cinderheart to hook up. I stared daggers at my raven haired sister, and turned back to Cinderheart, trying to find something to say. "Sooo, uh… nice weather?"

Hollyleaf facepalmed. I shot her a dirty look, and once again focused on Cinderheart, who was giggling. Seriously, what is it with girls and giggling? Suddenly, Heathertail came out of nowhere, and seized my arm. "Blazikins! There you are!" A look of disgust came over Hollyleaf's face as she shot Heathertail a withering glare with the force of a thousand suns. I couldn't say I blamed her. "Who invited HER?", Hazeltail muttered to Icecloud, who shrugged. Suddenly, I felt something ram into me from behind, and before I knew what was happening, I was stumbling forward before falling headlong into the pool. Heathertail let out a blood-curdling scream as she fell into the water. She resurfaced, spitting mad and shrieking about her hair. I stifled a grin. Her golden hair, once in intricate curls, was now a tangled rat's nest. Her mascara ran in black streaks down her face, and her lipstick was smeared over one cheek.

The entire room burst out laughing, Foxleap in particular who looked extremely pleased with himself. Heathertail wailed in embarrassment, and ran screaming into the nearest bathroom. I, too, dissolved into laughter as I heard Heathertail barking orders into her phone, demanding a new set of designer clothing be brought to her immediately. Before long, almost everyone was in the water, with the exception of Jayfeather, who hated swimming due to his blindness, and Berrynose, who didn't want to mess up his perfectly coiffed hair. I saw Mousewhisker splashing Blossomfall in one corner, and I grinned as I dove underwater, only to pop up behind him and dump a wave of blue-dyed water on his head. I swam away before he could splash me back.

I resurfaced just in time to hear Cinderheart's cry as she slipped under the waves.

 **End Chapter 12**

 **Annnnd cut! Cliffie! I love doing those so much. All I need to do is think about the cliffhanger and it puts my butt right in gear to finish up the next chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading, y'all! Reviews feed the muse, so don't forget to leave one on your way out! I'm out!**

 **Ciao!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	13. Breakup

**Hexagon**

Chapter 13: Breakup

 **Hello! Katz is back with another chapter, and a lot sooner than I expected. Aye, I should mention: mainly LionxCinder, 'cause I ship them so hard!Thank you to:**

 **Guest**

 **Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **HeatherDiamond128**

 **Stormbreeze (guest)**

 **Clementime (guest)**

 **He will never be satisfied**

 **Thank you all, again! Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

…

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

I tore off my swimming goggles and could only gape in horror as Cinderheart's hand disappeared under the waves. I rubbed at my eyes, cursing the chlorine for making my vision go fuzzy. Was I seeing things?

I pinched my arm hard, and felt the _very_ real stab of pain race through my nerves. Nope, I was awake all right. I watched as my brother dove under the waves, descending into the 14 foot deep water. The surface glared with the reflection of the bright lights above, and I shaded my eyes as I tried to see what was going on below the surface. No success.

After a terrifyingly long period of time, Lionblaze broke the surface of the glasslike water with a gasp, taking long, deep breaths of air. Cinderheart, her silver hair plastered to her face, was almost limp with shock, and was shaking uncontrollably. The once boisterous mood in the pool had gone cold. Bumblestripe swam over, helping to support the silverette. Lionblaze was doubled over, trying to catch his breath. "W-what happened?", he wheezed. "My ankle.", she gasped. "It gave out.."

I rushed over. "You okay?", I cried. "Y-yeah.. I think so..", she whispered. She drew a long, shuddering breath as if trying to calm herself. She leaned on my shoulder, still breathing hard. Lionblaze and I pulled the silverette out of the pool, water dripping in beads onto the heated marble tiles. Hazeltail rushed to hand Cinderheart one of the fluffy towels. She smiled gratefully.

A loud clap of thunder sounded, causing almost everyone in the pool area to jump out of their skin. It had been nice and light outside, despite it being late autumn. Now, the sky had darkened considerably, and flashes of lightning leaped through the heavy cloud cover below the academy. Even though I knew that the school had been built with things like this in mind, with hundreds of safety precautions, seeing lightning dancing wickedly so close to us never failed to scare me.

Cinderheart readjusted her drenched leg brace, and I helped her to the door. Even though my appetite was just about gone, I said, "Let's get cleaned up and then get lunch." The rest of the students assembled at the pool agreed, and dispersed.

Our progress was slow. With Cinderheart limping and breathing heavily, we didn't really go too fast. As we walked, we left a trail of chlorine water behind us. The janitorial staff would have a fun time cleaning that up. About ten minutes later, we were standing in front of our room door, and I pressed my hand against the lockscreen. The doors slid open, and I collapsed onto my bed, swimsuit and all.

…

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

Hollyleaf collapsed onto her bed, not even bothering to change out of her drenched swimsuit. Not that I could blame her. I was exhausted, and chilled to the bone. Goosebumps prickled my skin as another thunderclap sounded outside. Trying not to disturb Hollyleaf, who had plugged in her earbuds and turned up the music to full volume, I opened the bathroom door, before shutting it behind me as gently as possible.

I peeled off my bathing suit and leg brace, finding my skin pale and clammy underneath. I hung both items over the towel rack to dry. I undid my ponytail, and cranked up the shower to the hottest setting, pressing on the control board on the wall. The hot steam was scented with my favorite aroma of fresh, sweet mint. I inhaled the great smelling steam before stepping under the shower.

The water was almost too hot, which was saying something, because I'm what Violetpaw liked to call "weatherproof". I was flooded by a wave of homesickness so intense, it almost knocked me off my feet. My mom, with her kind and gentle smile, my dad, never losing hope in even the toughest of times, and my sister…. Violetpaw, with her huge, innocent blue eyes happily gazing at me as she tugged my sleeve.

Now I actually did start to cry. A fresh burst of pain throbbed through my ankle, and I crumpled to the floor of the shower, the hot water still pounding into my back. It wasn't the silent, sniffling kind of crying. This is what Mom would have called "the waterworks".

"Cinderheart!", came a yell from the other side of the door. _Huh? Lionblaze? What's he doing here?_ "Is everything okay?", Hollyleaf called. "Do you need us to come in there?" Lionblaze? Come in _here_? While I was…! A blush spread over my face. I quickly scrubbed the last of the minty shampoo out of my hair and turned off the shower. I hastily yanked on my clothes, a pair of shorts and a teal v-neck, before allowing the two anxious siblings to enter.

Well, in reality only Hollyleaf. She made Lionblaze stay outside. I plugged in a hairdryer and began to blow dry my hair, when Hollyleaf raised her voice over the hum of the machine. "You okay?", she asked. I nodded, and began to detangle the knots in my hair. The door shut. I finished with the hairdryer rather quickly, which is one of the nice things about thinner hair, and quickly styled the silky silver strands into a side ponytail.

As I stepped outside, Hollyleaf was applying a coat of lip gloss, which I found weird since she didn't use makeup often, and Lionblaze was rolling his eyes at his raven haired sister. "No one cares about your makeup.", he coaxed. "Let's goooo! We're gonna miss lunch!" I snickered. "He has a point. You never wear makeup anyway, what's the deal?" She looked at me, eyes wide with excitement. "I met this really cute guy named Fallen Leaves, and-"

"As _thrilled_ as I would be to hear about your love lives, can we please get moving? The Dining Hall closes in fifteen minutes.", came a voice from the doorway. It was Jayfeather, leaning casually against the doorframe, examining his nails. I didn't know why he bothered. It wasn't like he could see them anyway.

Several minutes of fast walking later, we were hurrying into the Dining Hall, which by now, was pretty empty, with only a few students still walking around. "Nice to see you finally made it." We spun. Sitting in one of the velvet padded armchairs was…. "Heathertail?", Lionblaze asked. "What's the deal?" Her blond hair had been straightened, and she wore it in a glossy high ponytail. She was dressed in a black tube top with purple ruffles, a purple miniskirt, lacy black thigh-highs, and black heels. She crossed her legs, letting one high heeled shoe dangle delicately off her toes as she pulled a gold plated tube out of her leather handbag. She popped off the top and carefully applied a fresh coat of vermillion lipstick to her mouth.

"Hey babe.", she cooed. "I've noticed you've been spending a lot more time with _her._ " She looked at me while pronouncing the "her" as if were a bad taste in her mouth. "Mind telling me why?" Lionblaze took a deep breath, as if steeling himself. "Heathertail, there's been something I've been meaning to tell you.." Heathertail just smiled. "Not to worry, I completely understand." She waved her hand at me, as if shooing a fly. "You can go now. Dismissed."

"Sorry, Heathertail, but she stays." The blonde's face seemed to redden a shade. "Alright, Lionblaze, enough with this back-and-forth crap. It's me, or _her._ " She said my name as if it were something a dog had left on a sidewalk. With complete and utter disgust. She got right up in his face. "Pick one.", she snarled. Lionblaze took a step back, before wrapping his arm around me and drawing me close. "You're one to talk.", he snapped. "Did you honestly think I didn't know?" Heathertail paled. "I-I don't know what you're talking about.", she stammered. "Oh, please.", he sneered. "You accuse me of cheating on you, yet it's alright for you to make out with Leaftail?"

All of Heathertail's confidence had vanished. "Please!", she cried. "I can explain! Give me another chance!" Her pleas fell on deaf ears. He laced his fingers through mine. "Yeah, I think I've made my choice. Goodbye, Heathertail." He turned, and stalked out the door, still holding my hand.

We walked for a while, Jayfeather and Hollyleaf trailing awkwardly behind us. The ravenette made several attempts at conversation, all of which failed. Lionblaze was staring straight ahead into space. "You okay?", I asked gently. A breakup was never easy, even if you were the one ending it. He turned to face me, smiling slightly. "Yeah. I'm fine. That's something I've wanted to do for a while now, actually." Internally, I was extremely relieved. I had felt kinda bad for crushing on someone's boyfriend, even if it was only mild.

His fist clenched, and looked me right in the face. "Hey, Cinderheart?", he asked quietly. "Yeah?", I responded.

"Will you go to the dance with me?"

 **End Chapter 13**

 **::insert fangirl scream:: Finally! You all have no idea how long I've wanted to do that! As always, thank you all for reading. As you all know, reviews make me type faster… So please, leave a review on your way out. They are all appreciated. Azra out! Byyyeeeee!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	14. Its a WHAT?

**Hexagon**

Chapter 14: It's a WHAT?!

 **Welcome back, everyone! There are a few things to address:**

 **Okay. So it has come to my attention that I've been...erm...neglecting the other ships. I'm really sorry. Again, I am a HUGE fan of LionxCinder, and when I planned out this story, that was more of the main focus.**

 **Since a lot of people want to see certain pairings, if anyone has any cute fluffy ideas revolving around other ships, mainly FallenxHolly and JayxBriar/Half, I would love to hear them. Oh, who am I kidding? I have no idea how to get them together without it being too plain, or cliche, or without copying someone else. Help me out here, people!**

 **A thank you to all the lovely people who reviewed!**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-GrapefruitSlayer (guest)**

 **-Guest**

 **-Guest**

 **-Flame That Burns In The Dark**

 **-Tigercry (thank you so much for the long review, btw!)**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Stormbreeze (guest)**

 **-Hazelstar of LightningClan**

 **Alrighty then! On with the fic!**

…

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

I only heard Cinderheart cry out an enthusiastic "Yes!", before the television screens that hung around every other corner sprang to life. They were nice TVs too, in high-definition and curved to create a more 3-dimensional effect. I saw Bluestar's face, as clean and fresh as the morning sky, skin soft and dewy, dark blue hair gleaming, appear on the plasma screens.

"Good afternoon Hexagon Academy, I hope you had an enjoyable morning.", she said coolly, tucking a silky strand of hair behind one ear, making sure not to upset her pearl earrings. "A slight change to our school year schedule has been made. Although the first semester does not end until next week, we have decided to pass out your new schedules for the second semester early. Please report to your homerooms to receive them from your teacher. That is all. Have an amazing day, warriors!"

I shrugged my book bag over my shoulder, and headed off to Brackenfur's homeroom. Hey, it's important to study! I arrived some ten minutes later, and saw my auburn haired teacher looking overwhelmed as students clamored for their schedules. Brackenfur is easily of my favorite teachers. He's so kind, relaxed, and supportive, it's impossible not to like him. I have him for math, and he's always there should I need help. I waited until the crowd of boys had left, thumping each other on the back, and whooping as they discovered that they shared classes.

Brackenfur sat down, rubbing at his temples as if only now beginning to recover from the ruckus, and handed me my schedule with a smile. "Thank you for waiting, Hollyleaf." I smiled back. "No problem."

 _Name: Hollyleaf_

 _Sex: Female_

 _Age: 16_

 _Semester: 2_

 _Period: Course Title: Teacher: Room:_

 _0: Homeroom Brackenfur 304_

 _1: Eng/Lang. Arts 10 Ferncloud 206_

 _2: Clan History 10 Mousefur 205_

 _3: Drama Feathertail PA_

 _4: Phys. Ed Tri. 2 Ashfur Gym_

 _5: Physical Sci. B Spiderleg 301_

 _6: Math 2 Brackenfur 304_

I had just smoothed out my schedule and was about to place it into my binder when someone came up behind me and placed their hand on my shoulder. I steeled myself, mentally preparing myself to give another one of those Shadow creeps a verbal smackdown along with a lecture on how to treat a woman, turned, and saw… "Fallen Leaves?"

The auburn haired boy stood behind me, hand on one shoulder and chin resting comfortably on the other as he scanned my schedule. "Hey Holly.", he mumbled without looking up. "Language Arts, Ferncloud, blah blah blah…. Oh hey, look! We have Drama together!"

I smiled weakly, my legs feeling like they had turned to jelly. He was _way_ too close. My cheeks blazed as he draped one arm over me. I playfully pushed his arm off. "I'm glad you're so comfortable.", I teased. He shrugged. "Well, that's just how you make me feel." And just like that, my cheeks flared again. How the heck could he just say things like that so casually?! "Ummm Holly?", he said, placing one hand on my forehead. "You're looking really flushed, and you feel feverish. Are you okay? Do you need the hospital wing?"

The look of concern on his face made my heart just about melt. Damn him for being so cute! I removed his arm (which had somehow made its way onto my shoulder again) "Nah. I'm good." He shot me a just-so-you-know-I-don't-believe-you-but-I'm-not-gonna-push-the-matter kind of look, and I nodded appreciatively.

In the past couple weeks, we had grown tight. Although he's probably too dense to feel the same way I do, I still can't help but feel my mood lift when I'm with him. Besides. I have to admit it's nice having someone other than my matchmaking friends to talk to. Their habit of playing cupid definitely rubbed off on me. At least, that's what my brother always says in response to my attempts to get him a new girlfriend.

I smirked as I watched the silver ponytail and reddish blonde spikes disappearing in the crowd of students at the other end of the corridor, and Heathertail, looking infuriated, stomping off with her friends meekly following. Sweet victory.

The warning bell chimed, and I quickly shoved my binder into my bag. I have Clan History with Mousefur next, and she's infamous for being very….no nonsense. Not even Foxleap likes to mess with her. As Fallen Leaves packed up his bag, he asked hurriedly, "Who do you have next?" I wrinkled my nose. "Mousefur." He gave me a sympathetic prod. "Oh, I had her last period. We have a test coming up." He shuffled his feet, looking down at the floor almost bashfully. "Could you maybe help me study?" I felt a warm tingle in my cheeks. Crap. Here comes the blush. "Y-yeah. Of course!", I said happily. He grinned, taking off down the hallway. "It's a date!" It's a WHAT?! Pulling up my collar to hide my red face, I hurried to history, trying to hide just how happy I felt.

 **Half Moon's POV:**

I shifted uncomfortably as I sat on the cold metal chair. Nervously, I tucked my white-blond hair over my shoulder, making sure not to knock a single strand out of place, and tugged at the hem of my baby blue tennis skirt. I was dressed in a white tank top with a pale blue scarf, my skirt, and a pair of flats. I tapped my nails against the metal, and then immediately stopped. I had just gotten them manicured, neatly trimmed at the top, then coated with a glossy coat of midnight blue and studded with tiny rhinestones that sparkled like the stars in the heavens above.

I knew I looked good in this outfit (the looks from the boys were a pretty good indicator) but unfortunately, the person I was really trying to impress was BLIND. Yes. Blind.

I stared at the back of the raven haired head, wondering. Out of all the people to be crushing on, it had to be the silent loner who disliked human contact if it wasn't his siblings. I knew Jayfeather could tell I was looking at him, it was just one of the talents he had picked up, being well, blind, but he didn't turn around or acknowledge me in any way. With a sigh, he raised his flute to his lips, and it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to do the same.

Graystripe raised his conductor's baton, and the music started. I'm actually pretty good at the flute, the sweet, breathy notes had always been enchanting to my ears. And then it happened. Measure 34. The part where only the flutes play.

The result was pathetic, to say the least. Without the support of the other instruments, the few people who had been confident enough to play loudly, not including me, faltered, and the music slowly dwindled until.. "Cut! Okay..this isn't gonna work.", Graystripe sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Sagewhisker, Whitetail, move back. Jayfeather, take first chair."

Jayfeather rose, before slouching unenthusiastically into the seat in the front. "Jayfeather.", the teacher scolded playfully. "Being first chair is an honor. Not everyone gets that title." Jayfeather shrugged. "Mneh." Graystripe surveyed the rest of us. "Half Moon.", he called out. "Be his stand partner."

 _Eeep!_

My movements were almost stiff as I sat down in the chair next to him. I quietly placed my music up on the stand and raised my flute. Jayfeather didn't have a use for music. Being blind, it wasn't like he could read it anyway. He could tell what notes it were and then played from memory.

Graystripe raised his baton once again, and the music started, even faster and livelier than before. I could feel my breathing begin to quicken as we reached it. The other instruments went from playing at full volume to quiet. Barely audible. The new seating arrangement did the trick, though.

After ten or so measures, the trumpets joined back in, and eventually, so did the rest of the class. I dared look at Jayfeather, who was staring straight ahead. He turned to face me. "You're pretty good.", he remarked. He was smiling.

 **End Chapter 14**

 **I tried. I hope that was somewhat satisfactory. Anywho! Enough of that! For anyone who noticed, I am revising a bit at the moment (who am I kidding, they're some pretty big changes). I deleted the prologue, so the chapter numbering might be a bit wacky for the moment. Thank you all for reading, and please review!**

 **Azra out!**


	15. Briarlight

**Hexagon**

Chapter 15: Briarlight

 **Hello, people! One thing, though: I have resubmitted this chapter, because my very clever self accidentally posted chapter 14 twice. Whoops... Anyway! Welcome back. Thank you for bearing with me while the chapter order was out of whack. The chapter numbering should be moving forward again now. ::sighs and puts hand over heart:: It was painful to part with my first ever chapter ever posted on fanfiction… but it had to be done. Whenever I revised my own work, I always skipped the first chapter because it was such a pain to read. So I decided it had to go.**

 **Thank you to the lovely people who reviewed:**

 **-iDragonspyro (guest) Love the name, btw.**

 **-Tigercry**

 **-Stormbreeze of BlazeClan**

 **-Winter sun (guest)**

 **-GrapefruitSlayer (guest)**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Flame That Burns In The Dark**

 **-Guest**

 **-Sunflowersun7**

 **-Guest**

 **-Guest**

 **Let's get on with the fic, shall we?**

…

 **Foxleap's POV:**

Finally looking up, I slammed shut my copy of _Beowulf: A New Telling_ and looked at my partner for the project. Hazeltail's book lay flopped open in her lap, the pages flipping in the draft from the air conditioner. Her eyes were closed, her long, dark lashes resting on her cheeks. Her lips were parted slightly, several strands of chestnut colored hair fluttering in her breath.

"Hazeltail?", I ventured quietly, poking her in the arm. "Wake up?" She didn't stir. I assumed she was asleep. I stepped closer, noticing the fine dusting of freckles on the bridge of her nose and the crescent-moon shaped scar on her neck. I stepped closer still. There was a piece of glitter stuck on her eyelid. I sniffed. There was a peculiar smell that seemed to be hanging in the air, like a mixture of salt and rust. Almost like….blood?

"What the heck do you think you're doing?"

Crap. So she hadn't been asleep. And just as quickly, I found myself scrambling for an excuse. "S-so um...I was just checking...are you okay?" Hazeltail gave me her famous you're-an-idiot look and said, "No, I'm not okay! I'm exhausted, my stomach is cramping, my hair's a mess, and I broke out in acne! So no! Everything is not okay!"

I leaned in extremely close again, knowing it would irritate her, and inspected her face. "What acne?" Her expression melted, and she pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, pressing my face right up against her chest. Her fingers toyed with my hair. I was seriously panicking at this point. Who the hell was this and what had they done with Hazeltail?!

"You're so sweet!", she cooed. "I wish more people would follow your example!" I tore myself out of the hug and backpedalled. First off, follow MY example?! Hazeltail would NEVER say people should act more like me. Besides, if any more people acted like I did, Dustpelt would lose his mind. "Hazeltail..", I squeaked. "I need you to answer this question for me. Are you, by any chance….high?" I regretted the words the instant they came out of my mouth. The warm expression on Hazeltail's face was immediately covered by a mask of fury. "YOU RUDE, INCONSIDERATE PRICK!", she raged. She took a deep breath, and I steeled myself for the coming onslaught, but was surprised when she almost seemed to _deflate_ in front of my very eyes.

"My aunt came to visit for the first time ever.", she mumbled. I was confused. "Your...aunt? Do you not like her or something? And since when can adults visit us here? I thought this was an exclusive school."

"My aunt _Flow_ came to visit.", she said, putting emphasis on the flow. I, however, was still completely oblivious. "You have an aunt Flo? Weird name, isn't it?" She glared at me. "My aunt F-L-O-W." She held her hands at her navel and made a gushing motion downward.

And suddenly, it all made sense. The bad temper, the mood swings, the smell of blood…

"Oh."

"Yeah."

I remembered what my sister, Icecloud, had said what girls liked on their period, and reluctantly pulled a neat square of chocolate out of the front pocket of my backpack. I held it like a peace offering, the golden foil glinting in the light. Lionblaze and Berrynose would be laughing themselves silly if they could see me. The Great Foxleap, offering his last piece of chocolate to someone else. And to a GIRL no less.

She accepted, looking weary. "Thanks.", she muttered. "And I'm sorry for being such a bitch." "I didn't even notice the difference.", I joked. A copy of Beowulf came and hit me in the side of the head. I rubbed the freshly forming bruise gingerly and said, "Okay, okay. Maybe I was asking for that." Another book came flying through the air and almost pegged me in the face, but this time, I saw it coming and sidestepped. "Ya think?", she asked, her fingers groping for another book, but she had run out books to throw.

I approached her cautiously. "Are you gonna be okay?", I muttered. She snorted. "It's just my period, not cancer. But thanks for asking." She put her feet up on the common room table and flipped through her book. "Where were we again?", she mumbled. "Oh, right. Lame-o-wulf just defeated Grendel…" I opened my book and began to read.

…

 **Briarlight's POV:**

The bell rang, the high, clear notes sounding through the Hexagon Academy classrooms. Chairs screeched as they were pushed back, backpacks were heaved onto shoulders, and students filed towards the door. Whitestorm, good-natured as always, waved his hands and ushered us out. "Get on out of here!", he said, a playful twinkle in his eye. "Have a good lunch!"

Excited babble filled the hallways as students headed toward the dining hall. I met up with my friends Rosepetal and Blossomfall and pushed into the large, well lit room. I grabbed a plate of fried chicken and mashed potatoes off the counter and waved to Hollyleaf and her friends. Cinderheart was positively glowing. I wonder what happened?

I moved past their table and sat down with the others in our usual spot, a cute little table nestled into a niche near the window. Well, not always usual, since sometimes I sit with Half Moon and the other two sit with Hollyleaf and her friends occasionally. But for the past few weeks, this had been our spot. We could sit, talk, eat, read in peace, without anyone bothering us.

Today was different. I had just gotten settled in when Kestrelflight, yes, _Kestrelflight_ of all people, was leaning on the table. He ignored the two others and went right for me. "Hey, Briarlight.", he said, looking me squarely in the face. There was an awkward silence, and Kestrelflight seemed to fumble for words. "You look really pretty today." I looked down at my clothes. A white v-neck, a red jacket, torn jeans and white converse. I looked exactly the same as I always did. "You should sit with us." He gestured toward his table of creepy Wind friends, and then, as an afterthought, added, "You shouldn't be sitting with these losers."

Rosepetal and Blossomfall exchanged indignant looks. " _Excuse_ me.", Blossomfall snapped, slamming her book shut. "Who are you calling a loser?"

"Yes,", came a mocking drawl from behind us. "You have the gall to call these girls losers, yet it's you bothering them at their table with fake smiles and cheesy pick-up lines." It was Jayfeather, with the blue streak dyed into his hair and his standard bored expression. Kestrelflight gaped, his mouth working away soundlessly. "It's not...that's not..what happened at all…" His voice faded to a quiet squeak at the end.

Jayfeather raised an eyebrow. "Alright.", he sneered. "What did happen? _Do_ enlighten me." Kestrelflight no longer looked scared, but positively enraged. He wasn't used to being talked to this way. He raised his fist, preparing to strike. I opened my mouth, about to warn Jayfeather, but before Kestrelflight could make so much as a move, he said, "It's bad manners to strike a _poor, defenseless, blind_ person. Even a brutish swine like you should know better."

Kestrelflight's hand dropped, and he stalked off to rejoin his friends without another word. We watched him go. Jayfeather dropped into the seat next to me, and unwrapped a piece of spearmint gum before popping it into his mouth.

"Well, he's gone.", Jayfeather remarked, blowing a pale green bubble. I shuffled my feet on the floor, suddenly very interested in how the black converse slid over the beige carpet. "Thank you.", I mumbled. "I didn't know that Kestrelflight was such a jerk." Jayfeather shrugged. "People surprise us. And some not for the better." I nodded in agreement. "The person everyone thought was a heartless jerk volunteers at the animal shelter without anyone knowing, and the perfect model student regularly bullies underclassmen."

Jayfeather nodded. "Yup."

I looked at him curiously. _And the sharp tongued loner who everybody thinks hates human contact just defended me from Kestrelflight?_

 **End Chapter 15**

 **Okay, okay. High school might be a weird time to get your period, but some people are super late bloomers. *cough* me *cough* Briarlight has finally been introduced! (as per request by Tigercry) Thank you for reading! Please review! Azra out!**

 **Ciao!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	16. Ice Water

**Hexagon**

Chapter 16: Ice Water

 **Well I should be ashamed. Two freaking weeks of break and I get ABSOLUTELY NOTHING written. So sorry everyone. Thanks so much to all the lovely people who reviewed:**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Sunfrost21-KITSTAR**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-iDragonSpyro (guest)**

 **-Darling spider (guest)**

 **-GrapeFruitSlayer (guest)**

 **-Flame That Burns In The Dark**

 **-Featherfrost of StormClan**

 **-Coraldawn107**

 **Anyway! On with the fic!**

 **Heathertail's POV:**

I reached into my pink Prada Saffiano handbag and drew out a gold plated tube of carmine colored lipstick. I carefully applied an extra thick coat to my mouth, and watched as green eyed brunette made his way through the Dining Hall. It was Kestrelflight. He was rubbing furiously at his eyes as he slid into a seat at the table. He doesn't usually sit here.

Normally he sits with his group of nerdy medic freaks, at a table in the far side of the room. Almost all the medic kids sit there, with the exception of Jayfeather, who keeps to himself and talks to almost no one (there have been people who thought he was mute). The only people who he readily communicates with are his siblings Hollyleaf and Lionblaze and a few close friends, such as Half Moon and Cinderbitch.

The table was silent only for a couple seconds, in which all of my friends were obviously struggling to keep a straight face. And then everyone burst into uproarious laughter. I smirked, and took a sip of my Caan-Raspberry La Croix, the ice cubes tinkling as the glass was set back down.

"What the hell?", Kestrelflight spat. "Why would you make me do that? Now she'll never go to the dance with me!" I leaned leisurely back in the chair, rocking on its two back legs. "A girl has got to have fun somehow, right?", I asked, shrugging. "Besides, have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Kestrelflight raised an eyebrow. I casually pulled down the loose knot that hung at neckline of my crimson chiffon top.

Around my neck was a black choker, coming together at the front in a silver ring. Dangling from the ring was the metal symbol of the Dark Forest, the silhouette of a snarling cat. Kestrelflight took one look at the symbol hanging at my throat and scrambled back as if scalded. I smiled, the expression dripping with sadistic sweetness. "You do remember who I'm in contract with..?" I could see him mouthing, " _Brokenstar._ " I stood up. Now for the grand finale.

I seized him by the collar, dragging him across the surface of the table. I lowered my voice, making sure no one else could hear. "That's right. I get what I want, no matter the cost. And you do as I say, or you die. All I have to is let something slip to Brokenstar, accidentally of course, and I could arrange for you to be dead by morning. One word. That's all it would take."

I released him, shoving him harshly across the table and back into his seat. I raised my voice to normal volume again, letting everyone else hear. "Any complaints?"

Kestrelflight took off. He tore through the Hall, leaving a room full of students staring. He tripped over a chair, fell on face, only to get back up and continued sprinting. He crashed through the double doors and out of sight. The double doors continued to swing wildly for another few minutes, but I didn't care. I turned back to my friends, Nightcloud, Sunstrike, Dawnpelt, Harespring, Leaftail, Breezepelt, and all the others in the group. "Now.", I said pleasantly. "How to best get rid of a silver haired pest?"

…

 **Bumblestripe's POV:**

The second Ashfur called the team together, I moved to peel the heavy goalie gloves from my hands. Normally, I was thankful for the padded material since it kept me from regularly breaking my fingers, but today, I couldn't have been more eager to get them off.

The thermostat needed to replaced, and for the past four hours, the temperatures in the entire school had been irritatingly high. I used the hem of my practice jersey to wipe away the sweat that had accumulated between my fingers, then turned to see Berrynose rubbing his hair with a towel.

"Damn the stupid thermostat. With an entire freaking crew of technicians you'd think they'd have fixed it by now." Ill tempered nods came from the rest of the team. Ashfur checked his watch. "Ten more minutes to go." We exchanged pointed looks. "But I'll end practice early. There's no point in playing when it feels like a sauna in here."

We were more than happy to leave, stepping out into the wide hallway that led to the Thunder sector, light pouring in through the massive floor length windows. It was only slightly cooler. Ivypool seemed to be suffering worst of all, repeatedly pausing to wipe the sweat from her face.

I clearly wasn't the only one who noticed, and saw Icecloud and Cinderheart unscrewing their water bottles. Icecloud dipped an experimental finger into her water, withdrew it, and giggled something into the silverette's ear.

I watched curiously as both began to slowly sneak up on Ivypool. Ivypool spun, fist raised, just in time to have two freezing loads of water dumped over her. She yelled in shock, ice cubes on the floor at her feet, soaked uniform plastered to her body. I thoroughly expected her to bash both of her "attackers" on the head with her own _metal_ water bottle.

Instead, she started laughing. Yes. LAUGHING. Like, doubled over, stomach-cramp-inducing, howling laughter. She stood there, soaked to the bone, teeth chattering from the ice, laughing like it was the funniest thing ever.

The rest of the team, most of which probably thought they were about to experience Icecloud's and Cinderheart's last living moments, was quick to join in. The students who were making their way hurriedly past us probably thought we all lost our minds, carefully avoiding the large puddle of ice water.

 **Dovewing's POV:**

I smoothed out my short black mini skirt as I made my way into the Thunder hallway. I passed a potted plant, and caught sight of my reflection in the wide windows. I was wearing with it a white crop top, a red flannel jacket, a small white leather purse over my shoulder, and a pair of white cork wedges. I smirked. I knew it had been a good choice to pair the outfit with the wedges rather than the peep-toe ankle boots I had been considering. This gave the outfit more of a "I didn't even try" feel.

At least, it was a good choice until a load of ice water splashed onto my unprotected toes. I opened my mouth to complain, but the words died in my throat once I saw who it was. Ivypool, and the rest of the soccer team.

"Great…", I muttered, stalking past, hopping on my wedges around the puddle of ice water on the floor. Ivypool. Ugh. Little Miss Victim, always playing the pity card to get in people's good graces, where I had to get to the top completely on my own. I put up with Heathertail and her ridiculous friends for a month straight without telling her what I really thought of her. I'm the favorite of just about every teacher. I have perfect grades, perfect looks, and a perfect social image. Ivypool? Don't even get me started…

And despite all that, she always comes up smelling like roses, no matter what shit she got herself into. For all I've been through, all I want is credit where credit is due, not to be compared to my disappointment of a sister. Right?

Right on cue, I rounded a corner and ran into Bumblestripe and Tigerheart, who were glowering at each other furiously. Right as I came into view, they stopped spitting insults at each other just long enough to give me a beseeching stare. I smiled sweetly and asked, "Whoa, guys! What's all the fuss about?"

"We can't agree", Tigerheart said. I stopped myself from saying something along the lines of _No duh!_ and asked kindly, "What over?"

"Who's taking you to the dance" And then they started furiously yelling at each other again. See? This is what I mean. Just another reason why I will always be better than Ivypool. "Guys!", I called, raising my voice just enough to be heard over their yelling. They stopped arguing immediately. "I'll just go with both of you." Bumblestripe pointed at himself. "Both...of us?", he asked.

"Yeah!", I said, my voice chipper. "One of you will walk me there, the other will walk me back. I'll dance with each of you twice. How does that sound?" The boys came to grumbling agreement, before snapping at each other and arguing (again) over who would get to walk me there first.

 **End Chapter 16**

 ** **come up** /out **smelling** of **roses-** to have people believe that you are good and honest after a difficult situation that could have made you seem bad or dishonest**

 **Still don't like Dovewing. Thank you for reading!**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Ciao!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	17. Headphones

**Hexagon**

Chapter 17: Headphones

 **Hi everyone! Thank you all for reviewing:**

 **\- Rainy Spirit**

 **\- Guest**

 **\- Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **\- Azureflower**

 **\- darling spider (guest)**

 **\- AllyCat (guest)**

 **\- GrapeFruitSlayer (guest)**

 **\- Guest**

 **\- Guest**

 **\- Duchess Frost**

 **Yay! On with the chapter!**

 **Fallen Leaves POV:**

"What year did Ronald Reagan become president?"

"1981."

"How many years did he serve as president?"

"8 years. His second term ended 1989."

"He was the United States what number president?"

"He was the 40th."

Hollyleaf set down the notebook filled with her own neat handwriting and smiled. "This test should be easy", she remarked. "You know the answer to literally every question I can think of."

I grinned, giving her a high five across the table. "Yeah. Thanks to you." Hollyleaf tucked a strand of inky black hair behind her ear and shrugged modestly, then slipped her notebook back into her bag. She yanked hard on the zipper, which squealed as it was sharply pulled. I pitied the zipper as it was forcefully pulled shut over the bulging binder and neatly labeled folders, plus four or five college level textbooks to boot.

"You're gonna break that.", I said flatly as she tugged on the zippers. The bag looking ready to burst at the seams. "Oh, please. Stupid bookbag has been through through much worse.", she groused out through gritted teeth as she wrestled with the bag.

"I don't doubt it. The poor thing looks like it's about to fall apart."

"Its..", she paused to rub her hands, then grappled the bag again. "..fine!" The battered looking canvas chose that moment to slowly begin pulling apart at the already eroded seams. "Hollyleaf..", I began, but by then the bag had fallen apart entirely.

There was the loud rumbling as the heavy books crashed through the bottom of the bag, which caused the only other inhabitant of the library, Rosepetal, who had been reading an e-book, to jump out of her skin at the loud noise. She then turned to shoot Hollyleaf a geez-you-scared-me glare.

The ravenette smiled sheepishly and mouthed an apology. Rosepetal went back to her e-book. I set my notes (::cough:: scrawls ::cough::) to the side and rose out of my chair. AP Chinese Language and Culture had ended up under a bookshelf. Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Microeconomics, and Studio Art: 3-D Design had all gone tumbling out the door.

As Hollyleaf examined her bag to see if there was any way to salvage it, I collected the books that had gone flying in every direction. After I had found the books, her runaway pencil pouch, and the neatly labelled folders, I placed them carefully next to Hollyleaf. The ravenette had taken a single glance at her demolished bag, then promptly threw it in the trash.

She pulled the items toward her, checking to make sure everything was there. And then, to my surprise, she hugged me.

She had to stand on her tiptoes because I was so much taller than her, but the effect was the same. I felt like all my nerves had been electrified all at once, and slowly, as if my limbs were made out of lead, wrapped my arms around her and pulled her toward me.

"Watch where you're touching, pervert", she mumbled half-heartedly, her face buried in my shirt. I just grinned. And it wasn't even a small one. It was a big, stupid smile like I had just seen the mall Santa and thought he was the real thing. And this was just because of a hug. An innocent, we're-just-friends hug.

I was taking this the wrong way. The _way_ wrong way. Shaking my head slightly to clear the thoughts that had been settling against my wishes, I pulled out of her grip, and picked up the books, giving half to her and keeping half for myself.

She stared at me, confused. I grinned, did a little bow, and pretended to tip a hat. "Of course I'm going to help you carry", I said with a smirk. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I let the lady carry her things all by herself?" She rolled her eyes and started toward the exit. "You're so weird", she said, and walked out the door.

"Hey! Wait up!"

…

 **Hazeltail's POV:**

Static crackled in my ears, becoming so loud I couldn't even hear the music anymore. Frustrated, I ripped the headphones off my ears and chucked them at a nearby wall.

"Hey! Would you stop throwing stuff?!", came an irritated snap from the other side of the room. I waved apologetically. "Sorry!", I called back. An exasperated huff, then silence.

"Well.", I muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I guess these are useless now." I tossed the headphones into the trash, feeling crestfallen. My headphones are practically my best friend, after Icecloud and Blossomfall and the rest of them. I've owned them for as long as I can remember, before I even came to Hexagon.

And it had shown, too, with the padding around the speakers peeling off and the sound becoming fainter and less reliable, but I had never had the heart to throw them away. I was already debating on how I was supposed to survive without them until I could get a new set.

::Time Skip- A Few Days Pass::

The strap of my school bag was cutting into my shoulder, making me curse Mousefur's old lady ass for giving us so much homework. I pressed my hand onto the lockscreen, the door sliding open. I share the room with my two best friends, Icecloud and Blossomfall, but both were gone. Presumably to dinner.

I threw my bag down, rubbing out my sore shoulder, and was about to plop down on my bed when I noticed it. A box, laminated in smooth white and emblazoned in the silver Citron logo. Citron was a top producer of electronics and other technology.

I slid open the box, curious. What I found inside took my breath away and made my inner child do backflips with glee. Inside, resting on a bed of black felt was a pair of headphones. A pair of wireless headphones, in pristine white with dark blue accents, the headband padded with white leather and a piece of paper peeking out of the right speaker-wait. What?

I slid out the paper, careful not to tear it. It read:

 _Will you go to the dance with me?_

I recognized the untidy scrawl immediately. Besides, who else would draw a cartoon fox to sign it? I slid the headphones over my ears, feeling the reassuring weight and cool leather pressing against my skin. I scrolled through my playlists, eventually selecting _Everything Counts_ by Depeche Mode. The song was really old, from 1983, but one of my favorites nonetheless.

I stuffed my hands into my pockets and made my way to the Dining Hall for dinner. The place was packed, filled with lively energy and chatter. I scanned the room, looking for a certain ginger, until I finally found him sitting at the center table with Lionblaze and Berrynose and the rest of them, being uncharacteristically quiet. I slid off my headphones, letting them rest on my shoulders.

I slipped into the seat next to Foxleap, ignoring the rest of the table which was currently busy seeing who could get the most mashed potatoes stuck to ceiling, completely unaware that an ill tempered Blackstar was stomping across the room to put an end to it.

"The answer is yes, by the way."

 **End Chapter 17**

 **::waves:: So umm, I'm back? After like- hold up… ::checks calendar:: A month?**

 **Ahem, anyway. Yay! My Hazelleap ship has sailed! And Hollyleaves is getting there, slowly but surely. Thank you all for reading!**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**

 **-Azrakatz**


	18. Double

**Hexagon**

Chapter 18: Double

 **Hiya! Thank you to:**

 **-Azureflower (or as her current username reads: iamdoingthisunderADARE)**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Guest**

 **-purple-panther**

 **-Tigercry**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-cocolily (guest)**

 **Let's get on with it, shall we?**

 **Briarlight's POV:**

My tennis shoes pounded the dusty orange of the track as I came in for the finishing stretch. A pleasant heat burned in the backs of my legs, adrenaline singing through my veins. I felt as if I could keep tirelessly running forever.

The gym was filled with the sound of feet hitting the floor and despairing groans as Ashfur made us run our second mile thanks to a group of Shadow boys thought it would be funny to flood the locker rooms. I didn't care. I loved running.

A quick peek over my shoulder showed the majority of the class far behind, keeling over and nursing side stitches, with the exception of Toadstep, who was only a couple of paces behind me. But he's on the soccer team, so that was to be expected. The twice a week gym classes did little to keep the Hexagon students in shape, especially those who did no other physical activity other than hurrying to classes or running to get to to the Dining Hall before the cheesecake ran out.

Ashfur was dressed in a tracksuit in the Hexagon colors of black and blue, leaning casually against a goal post. I sprinted across the spray painted line of the track that marked a mile. Ashfur glanced at his timer.

"5:23. Well done", he praised. "Is that your new best?" I nodded with a grin, tugging at the collar of our gym uniform. Our uniform is a blue dri-fit top with the Hexagon symbol on it, along with black basketball shorts. Toadstep jogged across the line seconds later, still running in place a bit.

"5:38", Ashfur called over to him. Toadstep grinned, giving me a thumbs up and a nod of congratulation for being the first to finish. A third person dashed over the line, brushing black hair out of his face to reveal stunning blue eyes. Jayfeather. He may not look it, but he's a better athlete than people give him credit for.

"5:50!" came Ashfur's voice from the track, where he was waiting for the rest of the class to finish. Four minutes later, the groaning students began to cross the line. Ashfur looked unimpressed as he read off the times. "9:45, 9:52, 10:04, 10:16, 10: 28..."

Jayfeather stood next to me, unseeing blue eyes fixed on the track where Ashfur was still rattling off times.

"Entertaining, listening to Ashfur chew out everyone else", he commented, grinning slightly. "And satisfying to boot", I added. "Watching bullies who act better than everyone else get left in the dust." My eyes fixed on Heathertail, who was dramatically clutching at her side, wailing about her cramp and demanding someone get her ice. Her minions rushed around, Dawnpelt carrying her snakeskin makeup pouch, Nightcloud rushing into the room carrying a bag of ice.

Ashfur facepalmed. "Heathertail, be quiet. If you don't want to get side stitches, then don't eat as many low-fat protein bars before gym. Dawnpelt, ditch the makeup, I don't tolerate stuff like that in here. And Nightcloud, Heathertail is out of shape, not dying. Put the ice back."

Jayfeather stuffed his fist in his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. If anyone deserved this, it was Heathertail. She had been an outright nightmare since her breakup with Lionblaze. Ashfur raised his voice over the babbling students. "Class dismissed!", he yelled, and immediately, people started filing into the locker rooms. After the episode in gym today, no one wanted to stay longer than absolutely necessary. That is, except for me.

As everyone else left, I remained behind and helped Ashfur pick up his cones. Honestly, he's not nearly as bad as people made him out to be. He does make people run a lot, but I suppose he has to get his authority across somehow. I handed him the last stack of cones, and he gave me a short nod of thanks.

"Say, Briarlight", he started. "Have you thought of joining any of the sports teams? Of course, I only coach soccer, but Coach Squirrelflight said she could use another girl on the cheer squad. I can put in a good word for you, if you want."

I was tempted to agree, but an image of Heathertail in a glittery miniskirt waving pom-poms popped into my mind. I wouldn't get any peace with Heathertail and her army of skanks on the cheer squad. "No thanks", I said with a smile. "I don't really have the time."

Ashfur smiled, and waved me off. "Well, you'd better get to fourth period. Thank you for helping me." I quickly changed into my regular outfit, and met up with Half Moon, who was waiting outside in the hall for me. She nudged me. "Girl, what took you so long?!", she exclaimed. "We have Cloudtail next, and he's about as patient as a starved grizzly waiting to be fed."

I shrugged. "It's not important. Just talking to Ashfur." Half Moon didn't give my answer much thought. She was way too excited, practically bouncing on the balls of her toes. I raised an eyebrow. "What's got you so hyped?", I asked.

"Oh my Stars, Briar! Jayfeather asked me to the dance!"

She smiled wide, obviously waiting for me to exclaim happily and congratulate her.

I couldn't look at her. I rubbed furiously at my eyes, trying to dislodge the tears that had started to form. Half Moon was my best friend. I didn't want to ruin her happiness.

"That's….great", I offered weakly. "I know, right!?", she practically yelled. "He was so sweet about it, too. He wrote a code in music and slipped it into my orchestra binder. I tell you, it was soooo romantic-"

She looked at me. "Briarlight? Are you okay?" I choked out a short, "Yeah, fine", and dashed down the hallway, leaving a stunned Half Moon behind.

…

 **Fallen Leaves' POV:**

"Alright, you can do this", I chastised myself. The dance was in less than two days. I couldn't afford to keep putting this off any longer. My stomach twisted itself in knots as I walked, in search of a certain ravenette. I visited every place I could think of where there was even a slim possibility she could be. Of course, I was just trying to stall. Gathering my wits and preparing to take the plunge.

"Worst case scenario, she says no", I mumbled quietly to myself as I mentally listed all the places I had already checked. Dining Hall? Check. Gym? Check. Her room? Check. Cinderheart had informed me she wasn't there. Office? Check. Classrooms? Check.

I found myself standing in front of the library doors. They slid open automatically, and I stepped inside. The place was practically silent, only the sound of tapping keyboards, book pages turning, and sighs of frustration as someone struggled with their homework. Hollyleaf was curled up in a squashy armchair in the far corner, reading to the light of a spiral shaped table lamp.

"Hey, Fallen", she remarked, not looking up from her book. "What's got you down?" I opened my mouth to speak, but felt as if my throat had closed in on itself. "I-I..", I squeaked. I gulped, drawing fresh breath. "W-will you g-go to the d-dance with me?" My voice cracked somewhere along 'dance'. I cringed.

"No."

My eyes snapped open. "W-what?", I stammered, the air knocked out of me. I felt like I had been shouldered by a rhino.

"Is that what you thought I was going to say? Duh, of course I will." She gave me a playful poke in the chest. "I thought that was kind of a given." My voice suddenly returned at full force. "You scared me", I said, slightly miffed. "Geez. Weirdo." Hollyleaf just grinned. "So is 7:30 a doable time?"

 **End Chapter 18**

 **Who saw that coming? ::raises hand::**

 **Fallen Leaves: ::facepalms:: You're the author. You don't count.**

 **Me: *surprised* I don't?**

 **Dovewing: *also surprised* She doesn't? ::turns to the side and starts counting on her fingers::**

 **Hollyleaf: ::sighs:: No, she doesn't. Geez, you're an idiot.**

 **Dovewing: No I'm not! I happen to have straight Cs I'll have you know!**

 **Fallen Leaves: Wow a genius is among us.**

 **Dovewing: ::preens:: Why thank you!**

 **Fallen Leaves: I meant Hollyleaf.**

 **Hollyleaf: ::smirks::**

 **Me: Let's just all hate on Dovewing everybody.**

 **Dovewing: HEY!**

 **Me: ::pushes Dovewing off screen:: Moving on. Thank you for reading everybody! Remember, reviews are love!**

 **Dovewing: ::in the distance:: I'm still here, you know! ::suddenly gagged::**

 **Me: ::smirks::**

 **Azra out!**


	19. Nerves

**Hexagon**

Chapter 19: Nerves

 **::walks on screen and bows:: Alrighty! Who missed me?**

 ***silence***

 **::awkwardly clears throat:: I actually got this chapter out on time. I am weirdly proud of myself. Thank you to:**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **-cocolily (guest)**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Guest**

 **-dragoncry (guest)**

 **-Rumpledragon**

 **And an special thank you to Azureflower, for being my 100th reviewer!**

 ***confetti***

 **We hit 100 reviews! I'm so happy I'm literally doing a victory dance!**

 **::composes self::**

 **Ahem.**

 **Let's get on with the fic, shall we?**

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

I hummed slightly as I cast a glance to the digital clock on my nightstand. 4:12 in the afternoon. I still had a little over three hours to get ready for the dance. I wove my fingers through my hair, which was still slightly damp from my shower, and tugged lightly. It was a habit I had picked up and did whenever I was nervous. Admittedly, it wasn't a very good habit, but it did the trick.

I sorted through my clothes hangers, searching for my costume. I had already decided on it: I would come dressed as an angel. Not particularly original, I know, since I had worn a similar outfit for the past two years, but I hadn't had time to put together anything too fancy. My costume consisted of a light, gauzy white dress that came halfway down my thighs, paired with a golden lace up corset belt. Along with it were white flats, as well as a golden headband that closely resembled a halo.

"Is that what you're wearing?", came a snide voice from the back of the room. I spun. Dovewing was leaning against the door frame, examining her nails. She was already in full costume, although the only thing I could gather from her appearance was that she was either coming as a bad representation of a stereotypical ballerina or a skimpily dressed princess. With the short, pink, tutu like skirt, the poofy sleeves, the sheer bodice, and more sparkly ribbons than any person should be allowed to wear, it was hard to tell.

She picked up the white dress, holding it a distance away like one would carry something extremely unpleasant. "A bit _plain_ isn't it?" I bit back a sharp retort and ran a hand through my hair. "It's just the Halloween Dance. It's not like it's prom or anything."

Dovewing sighed. "Honey, look. Hexagon is a private academy. Most of the students here are rolling in dough. Of course, there are always exceptions to that" She gave me a not-so-subtle look through the corner of her eye, "but the fact remains that events here are kind of a big deal."

I stayed silent. Dovewing continued on, "And not just that, but if the gossip vine serves me correctly, you're going with _Lionblaze?_ " I nodded stiffly. "You do realize he's the most popular guy here, right?" Another stiff nod. "He can get just about any girl he wants. If you want him to be interested in you for more than a few days, you have to show him you've _got it."_

Dovewing rummaged through a pink leather purse and pulled out a bundle of black material. She unfolded it, and deposited it on my nightstand. It was a black push up bra, to which she commented, "Because you're seriously lacking in the chest department", and a pair of black underwear with _literally no back._ I choked.

Suddenly, the items were swept off the table and unceremoniously wadded up into a ball. Hollyleaf, Rosepetal, and Blossomfall had come to my rescue. The ravenette smacked the bundle into Dovewing's hands and practically shoved her out the door. "Don't you have other people to be bothering?", she snapped.

The door fell shut. Hollyleaf sighed. "Don't listen to her. She doesn't know my brother, I do. And I know he doesn't see you in that way." I opened my mouth to say something, but Hollyleaf cut me off. "There wouldn't have been a need for that stuff anyway. The school is extremely strict about not allowing _those_ kinds of relationships. They don't need anybody getting pregnant miles up in space."

She circled around me, and examined what I planned on wearing. "She does have a point, though. You can't go dressed like that."

"Thankfully", Blossomfall chimed in. "We took it upon ourselves to get you a costume."

I spun to glare at the three of them. "You _what?"_

Rosepetal pulled a large plastic bag out from behind her. "We got you a costume. And trust me, you're going to love it!"

…

About two hours later, I was fully in costume. I was wearing a black sleeveless dress that went about halfway down my thighs, a silver sash fastened tightly around my waist. My legs were encased in knee high black was a black cuff like bracelet on both of my forearms, a small hook on the underside. And that was where my favorite part of the costume came in. Sewn to the back of my dress were two silky black wings, fabric layered to create shimmering feathers. On the bottom, the feathers gleamed silver.

Hollyleaf winked mischievously, her fingers finding a small metal clasp on the tops of the wings. With a click, the hooks on the undersides of my cuff bracelet and the tops of my wings attached.

I raised my arms and spun, the black wings billowing out, the silver and black plumes coming out from under my sash swishing around me.

"I knew the raven costume would look good on you!", Rosepetal gushed. Hollyleaf gave an approving nod. The other girls had put on their costumes, too. Blossomfall was a cowgirl, dressed in a fringed leather top that was cinched together at the waist with a wide studded belt. Her brown hair flowed in loose waves from under her cowboy hat. A lasso hung from her waist, the end trailing down to meet her cowboy boots.

Rosepetal was dressed as witch. She wore a floor length black dress with toxic green accents and touches of black lace. Her blond hair was brushed to silkiness and stood out against the dark material of the dress. She wore a pointed black hat with a toxic green ribbon tied around the middle and carried a broom over her shoulder.

Hollyleaf, finally, was wearing a policewoman costume. She was dressed in a navy blue top with the NYC police symbol sewn into the right sleeve. She was also wearing high waisted black pants and a utility belt. Her black hair was pulled up in a neat bun, tucked under her police cap. She watched as I stared in awe at the raven wings billowing out behind me, toying with the handcuffs hanging from her belt.

I noticed her look of almost worry, and tried to distract her. "Where did you get this, anyway?" Hollyleaf's frown only seemed to deepen, before putting on a false expression of cheeriness. She waved her hand nonchalantly. "Oh, you know… I saw it on Drekinn Riddari Designs and thought it was perfect for you.."

I froze. "Drekinn Riddari Designs?" Hollyleaf looked up. "Yeah, that place…"

"How much did this cost?"

The three girls looked at each other helplessly. "Um…. 14000 Univs?"

"14000 UNIVS?!", I yelled. "Do you have any idea how much money that is?!" I immediately loosened the sash, starting to slip out of the dress.

"Cinderheart, what are you doing?"

I was struggling with the knot on my sash when I answered, "There's no way in hell I can wear something this expensive. You could buy a fucking house with that kind of money!"

The three of them exchanged looks, and Hollyleaf's voice changed yet again, to careless disinterest.

"Okay, I guess. Don't wear it then."

"Too bad it doesn't fit any of us. And you looked so good in it, too", Rosepetal sighed.

"Yeah, what a waste of money, since Drekinn Riddari Designs doesn't do refunds", Blossomfall remarked.

"I guess that's just _14000 Univs_ right out the window..."

I slammed my head on the table. "UGH FINE! I'll wear it!" I pointed an accusing finger at the three of them. "You guys totally suck, just so you know. The next time you pull something like that, at least, I don't know, TELL ME FIRST?!"

The three of them completely ignored me and high fived. I groaned. "Typical.."

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

"Oh for the love of StarClan, STOP PACING!"

"Blaze, you look fine. She's gonna be all over you."

"Lionblaze, if you don't sit down _right this fucking second_ I will beat sorry ass into the artificial ground and then you really won't be able to go to the dance!"

I sat down.

Berrynose was rubbing at his temples. "I heard it was good to be nervous. But you are really taking to to the next level. And not in a good way."

I looked down at myself. I was going as a werewolf, reddish blond hair gelled back in spikes to form messy wolf ears. I was dressed in a tattered suit, holes bitten through the sleeves and the fabric torn with claw marks. There was a crimson spotted handkerchief sticking messily out of the breast pocket to match the bloodstained gloves. A gray fur trim lined the collar and sleeves.

I stood up and walked out of the room. "Later, assholes", I muttered. I was at the girls' door faster than I thought was possible. Taking a deep breath, I raised my hand and knocked.

 **End Chapter 19**

 **Well that was a boring chapter, even for me as the author. The dance is next! I'm excited already. So many possibilities…**

 **Thank you for reading, everyone! Please pop me a review! ::begging puppy dog eyes of doom::**

 **Azra out!**


	20. The Halloween Dance

**Hexagon**

Chapter 20: The Halloween Dance

 **Heya! I'm going to start trying to get each chapter out in less than two weeks from now on. Also! Get ready for an extra long chapter! Thank you to the following people for reviewing:**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Stormbreeze**

 **-Guest**

 **-dragoncry**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **-Sharpbreeze**

 **-Guest**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **Lets get on with the chapter, shall we?**

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

I opened the door and saw Lionblaze and Fallen Leaves waiting outside. Lionblaze was dressed as a werewolf, Fallen Leaves as a firefighter to match Hollyleaf's policewoman costume. The glowing stripes on the black firefighter costume flashed every time the light from the overhead lamp hit them.

The auburn haired junior produced two artificial flowers with silken petals from behind his bulky costume and offered them to Hollyleaf, who giggled.

Lionblaze swore. "Shit, we were supposed to bring flowers?!" Hollyleaf doubled over laughing, and I had to bite my tongue very hard to keep from following her example. Blossomfall stepped out from behind Hollyleaf, holding Rosepetal's hand. She rolled her eyes. "Guys, can we go?"

We were joined by several other couples, namely Toadstep and Icecloud, Jayfeather and Half Moon, Foxleap and Hazeltail, and finally, Honeyfern and Berrynose. The nearer we got to the Grand Room, the more crowded the hallways got. The floor was practically vibrating with the pounding of loud music, and multicolored lights flashed across the floor.

The double doors of the Grand Room were already open, revealing the elaborately decorated space inside. The Grand Room was easily Hexagon's multi-purpose room, a large, open space with a high ceiling, wide windows, and minimal decorations. Today, however, it had been completely transformed.

The minimalist style ceiling lamp had been replaced by an iron ring chandelier that had been decked out with eight wax dripping candles and covered with artificial cobwebs. The windows were now adorned by moth bitten black drapes, and instead of the modest potted plants that were usually present around the room, there were now leering gargoyles.

On one side of the room, there was a large medieval style dining table decked out with food. The torn tablecloth was covered in tiers of pastries, bags of chips, heaps of finger food, a large bowl of crimson punch along with dozens of glasses for the drinks, and finally, a chocolate fountain surrounded by tureens full of various fruits. The other side of the room was occupied by a dance floor and a DJ stand tucked into a corner behind a gargoyle.

Berrynose bowed to Honeyfern, kissed her hand, gave her a pompous wink, and asked her to dance. She beat him over the head with the purple fan that came with her costume before accepting. Icecloud, who looked like an excitable four year old instead of her usual relaxed self, practically dragged Toadstep onto the dance floor. Hazeltail and Foxleap made a perfectly synchronized beeline for the buffet table and began filling up plates.

Jayfeather was casually sipping at a drink, completely oblivious to the two girls standing on either side, Briarlight on his left, Half Moon on the right. Both girls had dressed up as nurses to match Jayfeather's doctor costume. Half Moon was in a short pink dress with a white collar, thigh high pink stockings, white flats, and a frilly headpiece with the red cross on it. Briarlight had taken the more realistic approach, dressed in dark blue scrubs, hair done up in a high ponytail, and a stethoscope draped over her shoulders.

Half Moon was happily holding on to Jayfeather's arm, not noticing at all that her best friend's eyes had become strangely watery.

Heathertail, Dawnpelt, Nightcloud and Sunstrike were standing in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by their group of friends. Heathertail was stunning, dressed as a Greek goddess in a bejeweled white crop top dripping with pale yellow flowers. Golden beads were draped over her shoulders. Completing the look was a floor length white skirt with long slits up both sides and golden lace up high heels.

Nightcloud was going as a geisha, her hair done up and wearing a kimono-like dress with a wide silver sash and a silver dragon coiling around the front of the dress and around her arm. Hollyleaf scoffed at this, saying, "It was the Chinese who loved dragons, not the Japanese. Seriously, ugh." Fallen leaves prodded her in the arm. "Lighten up. It's just a costume."

Dawnpelt was dressed as a vampire, her auburn hair dyed black and styled into an elegant pinup. She was wearing a gleaming floor length dress with a long slit up the side. Sunstrike, finally, was wearing a masquerade costume with a frilly bodice and skirts and a feathered mask.

After about twenty minutes, Sandstorm got up and stood behind the podium and called for attention.

"Hey there, warriors! I take we're all enjoying the dance so far?" Loud cheers echoed throughout the room. "Great! As we all know, we have a bit of a tradition here at Hexagon. You old hands should all know how this works!" I turned to Lionblaze, who was grinning. "What's she talking about?", I asked, confused. He smirked. "Just wait."

"Now, who's new here? Don't be shy!" I raised my hand, along with the freshmen that were huddled in the corner. Sandstorm grinned. "How many of you know what square dancing is?" Everyone's hand went down, except for me and one other freshmen boy. Sandstorm looked almost disappointed. "Okay, so it's basically this super old folk dance first recorded in the 16th century, involving groups of four pairs, so eight dancers. Firestar and I will demonstrate."

The ginger haired teacher who had been standing in the back of the room looked like he had been struck by lightning.

"Wait WHAT?!", he cried. Smirking, Dustpelt and Graystripe pushed him forward. The Thunder head's face was redder than his hair as he was forcefully shoved toward Sandstorm. Lionblaze, Berrynose, Bumblestripe, and the other boys were laughing silently, not at all concerned for their head teacher's demise.

"Oh, man", Berrynose choked out. "She has got him so whipped." Hollyleaf was grinning maniacally as she said, "They are just so shippable. It's obvious Sandstorm has a thing for Firestar and it's common knowledge that Firestar is head over heels for Sandstorm."

"And Sandstorm knows it. I mean, just watch", Half Moon remarked, nodding toward Sandstorm. The auburn haired teacher had stuck out her bottom lip, batted her eyelashes, and put on her most innocent voice. "Awww, c'mon, Firestar! You won't even do it for _me?"_

Bumblestripe facepalmed. "Aaaaaand three, two, one….MELT." Sure enough, Firestar had taken Sandstorm's hand, his face tomato red and steam practically pouring out of his ears. The two of them taught us the basics, then instructed us to get in our groups.

We were quickly joined by Jayfeather and Half Moon, Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves, and Foxleap and Hazeltail. I shot Hollyleaf a panicked expression. "How does this work!?", I whisper-screamed. She shrugged. "Just try to follow along. People mostly just screw around anyway, but it's supposed to be a fun dance, so nobody cares."

"Remember that time they had us do ballroom dancing?", Fallen Leaves put it. "That was a complete nightmare."

The music started, with Sandstorm making the calls. True to Hollyleaf's words, no one took the dance very seriously, laughing and talking. But the highlight of the dance didn't occur until about five minutes later, when Foxleap got bored and started BREAK DANCING in the middle of our circle (admittedly, not very well). He careened into Hazeltail, who was dying of laughter, stepped on an irritated Jayfeather's toes, and accidentally high-kicked Half Moon. After the third injury, Blackstar finally put a stop to it by grabbing the ginger by his collar and sitting him in a chair for a time out.

…

 **Heathertail's POV:**

I clutched tightly at the ladle and poured myself my fifth glass of punch. I had probably already consumed tons of sugar, but I kept going anyway. I glanced over, where my date, Harespring, was eagerly eating a piece of chocolate cake.

This. Was. So. NOT. Cool. I was Heathertail for Star's sake, I was supposed to be out there dancing with my hot date and having the time of my life, not standing in the corner with some loser being a wallflower.

"Heathertail?" I turned and saw Minnowtail, a petite girl with a gymnast's build, pale blond hair, and calculating blue eyes. She's one of my friends in River, cool, collected, and extremely smart, as well as a member of the Dark Forest to boot. She looked at Harespring through the corner of her eye. " _That's_ who you're going with?"

He was stuffing his face with his third slice of cake. "Let's just say he wasn't my first choice", I muttered in reply. The blond arched one annoyingly perfect brow. "Oh?", she asked delicately. "Was…he perhaps your first choice?" She nodded her head toward the crowd of people on the dance floor.

I caught a glimpse of reddish blond hair and gritted my teeth. "Something came up", I ground out. "You mean her." Minnowtail's gaze was on a silver haired figure wearing a silver and black dress, dancing with the rest of her Thunder friends. I remained silent.

"This isn't like you, sitting to the side, letting this happen. He can do so much better than _her._ " She looked at me through the corner of her eye. The corners of my mouth started to turn upwards. She continued, "Don't tell me you're actually not going to do anything about it. Are you honestly planning on letting some newbie peasant get with _your_ man?"

"No, I'm not", I said icily, feeling newfound anger surge through me. Harespring sauntered up to me, chocolate crumbs around his mouth. "Care for a dance with your handsome prince?", he asked arrogantly. I shoved him aside. Minnowtail smirked, and watched as Nightcloud, Sunstrike, and Dawnpelt hurried to me.

Eyes narrowing, I scanned the dance floor. There. A hand in a fur trimmed glove wrapped around Cinderheart's fingers. She spun, laughing, the wings to her raven costume billowing out behind her. I gripped the punch filled glass tightly in my fingers. I watched as Lionblaze pulled her close. THEY. HUGGED. That seemingly little action made jealous flames flicker to life inside of me, burning and raging and filling me with an emotion I was unfamiliar with.

The glass shattered in my hands, crimson punch spilling to the floor and flecking my white skirts. Glass shards littered the floor, glinting in the glow of the strobe lights. I threw a poisonous glare around my circle of friends. "Well?", I snapped. "Someone clean that up!"

Sunstrike kneeled, peeling off her lacy white gloves to avoid them getting stained by the crimson. She swept the broken shards into her bare hands, biting her lip as a piece sliced into her finger. A bead of blood formed at the tip of her finger and trickled down the pale skin, leaving a rust-colored trail in its wake.

The blond rose and was about to dump the glass into a nearby trash bin when told her to stop. I smirked. "I think I have an idea.."

…

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

I fell into a seat at one of the tables, grinning like a maniac. Hazeltail, Icecloud, and the other sat down too, laughing and chattering. Cinderheart fell into the seat next to me, sighing in relief as she kicked off her high heeled boots and placed them next to her chair. "Great StarClan, those things pinch!", she moaned.

I smiled sympathetically, and wordlessly slid a handful of band-aids to her. She plastered them to her heels over her blisters, and helped herself to one of Hazeltail's many chocolate strawberries. Suddenly, someone rammed into her from behind. It was Sunstrike, holding on the back of the chair with one hand and kneeling over Cinderheart's black boots, one of which had fallen over. She stammered an apology, and righted the fallen piece of footwear before walking away.

"Well", I muttered. "That was weird." Cinderheart shrugged. "What does it matter?", she asked, and took a sip of her sparkling lemonade. She stood up, fastened an extra band-aid over each of her heels, and stepped into the boots.

The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion. Cinderheart let out a short scream, before biting down violently on her lip. Her lip split, blood bursting down her chin, tears spilling out of the corners of her eyes. She threw herself into the chair and yanked off her boot, finding the bottom of her foot slick with blood and covered in deep cuts. But what really caught my attention was the glint of _glass_ among the bloody mess.

The room had fallen silent, even the DJ having switched off the music. Lionblaze was next to Cinderheart immediately, his eyes wide, furiously scanning the room. I saw his gaze fall on Heathertail, who looked extremely pleased with herself. In a heartbeat, I realized what must have happened.

"Sunstrike", I growled. "I _knew_ there was something off when she just happened to fall next to Cinderheart!" Teachers had rushed to Cinderheart's side. Brackenfur went sprinting out of the room to fetch Spottedleaf. I made eye contact with Heathertail, trying to keep my anger in check.

"Oh, you're gonna _pay_!"

…

 **Unknown POV:**

I strode along the deserted hall, feeling the faint thrum of music vibrating the ground underfoot. The laser gate that sealed the Dark Forest cast harsh artificial light across the ground. The soundproof, steel plated doors swung open before me. It was strange, seeing the Training Room of the Dark Forest so deserted. Even over break, there was no stop to the fighting, the endless thirst for blood Brokenstar possessed. The silence, the lack of battle cries, furious swear words, and screams of pain was almost unnerving. Almost.

I decided to pass over the empty Training Room, and carefully pushed through a door on the far side of the room. The second I entered, twelve pairs of eyes, cold and steely, locked onto me. An icy voice rang out, cutting through the gloom. "You came." I glared. "I did."

It was ironic. I used to hate this man for what he did to me, hated him for his manipulative nature and spine chilling voice. Now I welcomed hearing him speak, found myself drawn in by his words, whispered pursuations like enchantments and forbidden promises. I had learned from experience. Ever disobeying him was the greatest mistake I ever made.

"Will you do it?", he hissed.

"Gladly."

 **End Chapter 20**

 **Dun dun DUNNNN!**

 **Who do you guys think the Unknown POV is? I'm actually really curious to hear all of your guesses.**

 **Wow, that was a lot. My fingers hurt. Thank you for reading, everybody!**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	21. Gone

**Hexagon**

Chapter 21: Gone

 **::kicks open door:: I'M BAAAACK!**

 ***silence***

 **It's been less than a month and I've already failed to stick to my update schedule. ::shakes head, bewildered:: How do people do it?!**

 **SO NO ONE GETS CONFUSED, THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN RESUBMITTED. Phew. Writing in all caps is annoying.**

 **Anyway, thank you to the following people for reviewing:**

 **-Azureflower (x2)**

 **-Sharpbreeze**

 **-Guest**

 **-Guest**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Guest**

 **-Stormbreeze**

 **-Guest**

 **-HeatherDiamond128**

 **Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

…

 **Ivypool's POV:**

Bluestar's voice was calm and even, but the steely glint in her eyes gave her away. You could practically feel her burning glare even through the television screen.

" _..despite our efforts, we regretfully announce that no new leads have revealed themselves in the investigation concerning the occurrences at the Halloween Dance. We strongly urge any individuals possessing potentially useful information to step forward…"_

"They didn't find ANYTHING?", Hollyleaf groused out. "Like as in ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?"

"Unfortunately not", Jayfeather responded. "They found a few fingerprints on the glass, but they were too smudged to be useful."

"I don't know why they're bothering with this whole investigation garbage. I mean, we all know it was Heathertail and her army of skanks. Done. End of story", Lionblaze muttered.

"While I'm also convinced that it was her, there's no proof. So we can speculate all we want, but she's innocent until proven guilty. That's all there is to it." Jayfeather leaned back, before adding, "That doesn't mean it's okay. This far into the investigation, it's unlikely they're going to find anything. So as much as it pains me, she's going to get away with it."

There was silence, and then the sound of Lionblaze throwing a flower vase across the room. I shot him a death glare as I was sprayed with water.

"Lionblaze, can you not?", came the weary voice from under the covers. "That was a get well present from Rosepetal." The blond soccer player cringed and started gathering the fallen flowers from the floor. Cinderheart pushed the sheets down, and ran a hand tiredly through her messy silver hair. She lifted her left foot. It was tightly wrapped in pristine white bandages and smelled faintly of disinfectant.

"This sucks ass", she muttered. "I'd better be able to play in the game against Rushing Water Academy." Hollyleaf gawked. " _That's_ what you're worried about?! Not the crazy psycho bitch who put glass in your shoes?"

I finally decided to join the conversation. "Speaking of which, Ashfur sent everyone on the team an email about that." I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and read aloud:

 _ **By:**_ _Ashfur_

 _ **Subject:**_ _Re: Soccer practice schedule and the InterClan Classic_

 _ **Date:**_ _11/2/64_

 _ **To:**_ _Toadstep, Berrynose, Bumblestripe, Icecloud, Lionblaze, Ivypool.._

 _Guys (and girls):_

 _As I'm sure you all know, we start the InterClan Classic on 11/18/64, beginning with our game against Rushing Water Academy. Our practice schedule has been all over the place recently because of the other sports teams using the gym, but I am pleased to say we're going back to our regular Monday, Wednesday, and Friday practices going from 4:30 to 6:00. Until then, I urge all of you to stay safe (I'm looking at you, Cinderheart)_

 _-Ashfur_

I read the last part directed at my silver haired teammate aloud with a smirk. The silverette mimed banging her forehead on the headboard. Icecloud, who had been texting Toadstep, looked up.

"So you heard what happened at the dance, Ivypool?" I stared at her, confused. "What do you mean?", I asked, bewildered. "I was there. The whole night long."

"Yeah!", Hazeltail piped up, and slung an arm around my shoulder. "We were chatting up the DJ. Turns out we both love hip-hop!" She grinned widely. "Lexica forever, baby!" She turned to me, raising her hand. "Give me five, girl!"

One awkward high five later, the group directed their attention back to the TV. Bluestar had started speaking again. " _...on a more exciting note, I'm pleased to announce that the quarter-final tests are approaching us with breakneck speed!"_ Jayfeather raised an eyebrow. "...aaand this is her idea of 'exciting news'? That actually explains a lot." " _For those of you who are returning Hexagon students, you know how this works, but for the benefit of those of you who are new here, I'll explain the Hexagon testing system."_

Cinderheart, who had been looking at the television with half-hearted interest, suddenly was paying more attention.

" _Each school year is split into two semesters. At the end of the first semester, so halfway through the year, we have the half-final tests. This is your halfway checkpoint in the year, and it does make for a massive part of your final grade. Halfway through each semester, so a quarter through the year, we have the quarter-finals. These tests aren't as important as the other ones but they still carry weight, so make sure to study, Warriors! Then at the end of the year we have the infamous finals, which determine if you pass to the next year, so these are the tests you definitely want to do well on…"_

Hollyleaf was staring at the television screen as if she had been struck by lightning. "Oh my Stars!", she wailed. "I completely forgot! Now what am I supposed to do?! I have to go study!"

-Time Skip-

Turns out Hollyleaf wasn't the only one with that idea. Less than two hours later, the school was in an uproar. The library was filled to the brim with students, but the place was silent with the exception of the occasional despairing groan.

Icecloud, Cinderheart, and I pushed open the doors only to almost get run over by a bleary eyed student clutching a cup of coffee like it was the Holy Grail. Cinderheart shifted on her crutches and raised an eyebrow.

"Well then", she remarked. The library was a large room with a vaulted ceiling and many windows, causing the whole room to be flooded in clean light. The place was jam packed full of students, but somehow, the whole place was eerily silent. Someone in the far corner sneezed, resulting in a wide variety of death glares and a collective "SHHHHHHH!"

"Stars", Cinderheart muttered. "It's just the quarter-final. You'd think these are the SATs." I sighed. "If you think this is intense, just wait for the final examination. Everybody goes absolutely _nuts._ We're not one of the number one schools in the world for nothing, you know." I watched as two juniors silently argued over a textbook. "It's competitive."

Hollyleaf, whose books were taking up an entire desk, waved us over. She patted the three empty seats and signalled for us to sit down. Her notebook was flipped open in front of her, neatly color coded and labeled with tiny post-it notes. My own notes, which looked like a variety of different colored highlighters threw up on them, paled in comparison.

Hollyleaf threw a worried glance around the library to make sure everyone was busy, and then said in a hushed whisper, "You guys know Beetlewhisker, right?" Icecloud looked confused. "I'm drawing a blank. Who now?"

"The guy from River with the black man-bun and the golden earring. Right?" I spun. Lionblaze and Jayfeather were standing behind us. The blind medic drew up a chair and sat down. "I'm assuming that's who we're talking about?"

Hollyleaf sighed. "No, you're right." I leaned in. "Well?", I asked. "What about him?" The ravenette threw another cautious glance around. "He's gone, disappeared without a trace. No one's seen him since yesterday afternoon, before the dance. The teachers are launching a full scale search for him as we speak."

"Is it a secret or something?", Icecloud asked, confused. Hollyleaf nodded. "Technically, yes. The teachers want to keep it hushed up so no one starts panicking."

"Why though?", Lionblaze asked. "He probably got sick of this place and bolted."

The ravenette looked worried. "That's what I thought at first, too. But the Teleportix hasn't been activated for the past three months. And none of the windows have been shattered either, so he couldn't have jumped ship. So where the hell is he?"

Uneasy silence fell over the small group. Then an idea hit me, and I seized Lionblaze's arm and dragged him over to me. I kept my voice low as I asked, "Hey, isn't Beetlewhisker a part of the Dark Forest?" The blonde's voice was quiet as he answered, "Now that I think about it, he is", he muttered. "I even fought against him a few times, but I haven't seen him in a while. I don't think he's been attending the meetings for a while now." He looked at me, wide-eyed. "Do you think there could be a connection?"

I huffed. "Don't ask me. I'm not part of the Dark Forest anymore. It's not my problem." I was met with a fierce amber glare. "If the Dark Forest is planning something, it _will_ be your problem. And you know very well that if they gain power, no one will be safe. Not Dark Forest members, and definitely not all the students who didn't associate themselves with the psychotic assholes that are somehow still a part of this school."

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound very loyal", I sneered. "Why are still part of it if you hate them so much?" "Really?", he asked sarcastically, nodding at the scar that was peeking out from under my sleeve. "You quit. How well did that go for you?"

"Guys!", Honeyfern ran into the library, ignoring the death glares from all the studying students. "They found Beetlewhisker!" Hollyleaf stood up, the chair screeching as it was pushed back. She looked relieved. "How is he? Is he okay?"

Honeyfern looked down, squeezing her eyes shut.

"He's dead."

 **End Chapter 21**

 **Dun dun DUUUUN! And the plot thickens!**

 **::Azra's muse walks on screen holding a bag labeled** _ **Reviews Go Here**_ **::**

 **Me: ::shrugs:: Well then…**

 **Thank you for reading! Azra out!**


	22. Betrayal

**Hexagon**

Chapter 22: Betrayal

 **-insert creative author's note here-**

 **Thank you to the following people who reviewed:**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-NUUUUUUUU**

 **-Guest**

 **-Guest**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Heatherr**

 **-Guest/Randoman**

 **Thanks again! ::bows:: I feel loved! Anywho, on with the fic!**

…

 **Icecloud's POV:**

Bumblestripe tightened the straps on his goalie gloves and leaned forward, voice hushed. "I heard they found Beetlewhisker in the engine rooms. Totally mangled. He was barely recognizable." The huddle of players stood in silence, wide eyed.

"Does anyone know what Bluestar is going to say to the whole thing? They have to hush up the whole episode somehow", Thornclaw remarked.

It was me who responded. "No idea. In all honesty, something's not right with Bluestar. She hasn't been the same since Brokenstar sent Tigerclaw to kill her." I threw a glance around the huddle. "I mean, the solution is obvious. Disband the Dark Sector and have everyone in it expelled. Her refusal to ruin the school's reputation isn't just unnecessarily stubborn anymore, it's actually dangerous now. People are dying and the stupid heads aren't doing anything about it."

"What are you suggesting?", Lionblaze asked quietly. "Are you saying we take the matter into our own hands?" Ivypool looked irritated as she said, "That's an awful idea. Taking on the Dark Forest, not to mention _by ourselves_ is a one way track to getting ourselves killed. Or worse, expelled."

"HEY!", Ashfur bellowed in our direction. "This is soccer practice, not a social event. We have a game to be preparing for!" The dark haired coach was leaning irritably against a goalpost, twirling a ball pump in his fingers. I couldn't really blame him. This whole Beetlewhisker thing had the entire school sitting on pins and needles. This was especially true for the teachers and heads, who were now having to deal with a lawsuit and a possible investigation.

I shoved my almost empty water bottle into my backpack. Even after almost two weeks later, the thermostat still didn't work right. I joined the rest of the team on the field, where Ashfur divided us into groups and announced that we'd be doing a shooting drill for the rest of practice.

Bumblestripe looked unenthusiastic as he parked himself in the middle of the goal and subjected himself to being relentlessly fired at by the rest of the team. The practice ended with a stray shot from Lionblaze almost hitting Heathertail and Dovewing. Both of which had been standing waspishly in the corner sending people death glares.

I can't say I felt sorry for either of them. Heathertail was more prickly than a thornbush and had a bad habit of playing fashion police when no one cared for her opinion. And Dovewing was...just Dovewing. Air headed and annoying.

I finished off my water and walked back to the Thunder Sector with Ivypool and Cinderheart, who had been watching from the sideline as she was not allowed to play yet due to her injury.

Standing outside the doors was Poppyfrost. She looked nervous and kept chewing on her bottom lip. She looked like she was waiting for someone. I didn't pay much attention to her. Poppyfrost almost always looked sad these days, but wouldn't give anyone a straight answer when they tried to help.

As soon as we were alone in the hallway, I dared say what was troubling me. "I don't understand", I said quietly. "What could they possibly gain from randomly killing someone?" Ivypool didn't look at me as she answered, "He was a part of the Dark Forest. Maybe he did something they didn't like." Her voice had a overly-casual tone to it that suggested she wasn't telling everything she knew.

Whatever she was hiding, it put me on edge. As if to retaliate, I asked, my voice sharp, "What's Bluestar saying to keep the thing hushed up?"

It was Cinderheart, not Ivypool who answered my question. "Carelessness. She said that he was in the engine rooms running an errand and that he fell into the turbines by accident. I guess luck was on her side. She's lucky that they found him where they did, or else they would have had a lot harder of a time finding an excuse."

Cinderheart ran a hand through her silver hair. "It just doesn't _feel_ right, y'know? Bluestar has a good heart, it's easy to tell. She genuinely isn't trying to hurt anyone, she just wants to protect the school's reputation. But the way she's going about it, keeping important information from the authorities, refusing to expel the members of the Dark Sector…there's no way this is going to end well."

"And not just that,", I added gloomily. "what she's doing is obstruction of justice. She could go to prison for this." We arrived at my dorm room, and I raised my hands above my head in a stretch. Here we split up, Cinderheart and Ivypool going to their own respective dorms to change out of our soccer gear.

Actually, just Ivypool, because Cinderheart couldn't play.

I sat down on my bad, moodily unlacing my cleats. Cinderheart had a point. It didn't feel right.

…

 **Firestar's POV:**

The detective was a short brunette who had introduced herself as Smokey. She was dressed simply, in a long sleeved blouse in a shade of pale blue and high waisted gray slacks held up by a black belt. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail. The engine room, a huge, spacious area filled with the rhythmic humming of machines was closed off with bright yellow caution tape. The more dangerous equipment was below, only visible through an open panel in the floor. The open area was surrounded by bars that went to the ceiling.

Bluestar was standing next to me, face composed. But she was nervous. This had to go exactly right and she knew it, or there would be hell to pay.

Smokey's team of investigators was cautiously searching the area, taking care not to disturb anything. I had grown used to the occasional clicks of a camera or they sound of a vial being sealed. Beetlewhisker's body, or the grisly mess that had remained had been covered in a powder blue tarp. Out of sight.

Smokey had finished speaking with Bluestar now, and now she was striding over to me, pen poised over her clipboard. "Hello, Mr. Firestar, how was your morning?" I rumbled out a low "Fine." Smokey kept talking, shaking my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

And then, suddenly, her voice was all business. "So. Ms. Bluestar has informed me that you were the teacher present when this occured, is that right?" I nodded. A lie. I felt myself becoming more frustrated with my boss every second that passed. This wasn't right.

"Was Beetlewhisker acting at all strange before the incident occurred?"

Smokey continued to interrogate me. It took all my strength to answer.

…

 **Berrynose's POV:**

Honeyfern stood up from the bleachers and hurried down, tossing a lacrosse ball to herself as she went. She gave me a hug.

"You're sweaty", she informed me. I grinned. "I just got done with practice. What exactly did you expect?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Touche."

"I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back in a moment." And then Honeyfern was gone.

The second the gym doors closed behind her, they were reopened, and a fair skinned redhead stepped in.

"Berrynose?"

It was Poppyfrost, Honeyfern's sister. I wasn't completely sure what had been up with her lately. She had seemed sad, and spent a strange amount of time around me. She almost seemed to pop up wherever I was. I shook the thought out of my head. I was just being paranoid.

She walked toward me, a determined expression on her face, like she refused to let herself back out. "Hey Poppyfrost", I said, leaning back in my seat. "What's up?"

She sat down next to me with a smile. "Are you looking for Honeyfern?" I gestured out the door. "She went to the bathroom. She's not here."

"Good."

And suddenly, her lips were on mine and Poppyfrost was _kissing_ me, pushing me back onto the back of my seat. I pushed her off. "WHAT are you doing?!", I hissed. "I have a girlfriend! Your SISTER is my girlfriend!"

She ignored me, and kissed me again. Right as Honeyfern opened the door.

 **End Chapter 22**

 **Aaaaaand on that note...I'll end the chapter because I'm feeling evil today.**

 **I don't have anything against Poppyfrost or Bluestar. Just fyi.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading! Remember, reviews are love!**

 **Azra out!**


	23. Advice from Hazeltail

**Hexagon**

Chapter 23: Advice from Hazeltail

 **::Azra's muse walks on screen and waves:: Oh, don't mind me. I'm just marvelling at the fact that Azra actually had the commitment to write 23 chapters worth of fanfiction. This is a first for her.**

 **Azra: ::glares:: Don't make me send you to your room!**

 **Ahahah..hah..ha…..I'm hilarious.**

 **Yeah.**

 **Anyway, thank you to the following people for reviewing:**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan (x2)**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Stormbreeze of BlazeClan**

 **-Clementime**

 **-QueenOfCats375**

 **-Brokendawn32005**

 **I see you all caught my little Harry Potter reference. In all honesty, I'm surprised I didn't get any angry Hermione fans kicking down my front door. Fans can be terrifying. Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

 **Honeyfern's POV:**

The hiss of the air dryer was still echoing in my ears when I left the bathroom. As if to shake off the irritating noise, I fished my earbuds out of my backpack, plugged them in, and scrolled through my playlist in search of a song. With Lexica's voice blaring in my ears, I made my way along the hallways, heading back to the gym.

Nothing could prepare me for what I saw when I opened the door.

Berrynose.

Kissing.

Poppyfrost.

Berrynose KISSING my sister.

What the actual fuck?!

The second they saw me opening the door, Berrynose shoved my sister off, who squeaked.

"No, no", I snapped sarcastically. "Carry on. Don't let me bother you." I stalked out the door, which closed with a bang. I felt like someone had just punched me in the stomach, ripped out my heart, and then proceeded to run over it multiple times with a double-decker bus. And then threw it off a cliff for good measure.

I could feel my throat closing up, my eyes burning as tears started to drip slowly down my cheeks. I blinked rapidly, and then rubbed my face with my sleeve. I didn't need anyone seeing I was crying. I practically ran down the hallway, trying to make it to my room before Berrynose tried to come after me.

I could hear the gym door opening, then falling shut. Berrynose's desperate voice carried down the hall.

Too late.

I sped up, trying to make it to the corner before he saw me.

"Honeyfern! Come back!" I didn't respond, just ran faster. "It wasn't what it looked like!"

Now I spun, the sadness and betrayal replaced by anger. I stormed up to him, and Berrynose seemed relieved that I was talking to him. Well, not for long.

"Oh yeah?! Care to explain what did happen then?!" He opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off. "Because to me, it looked like YOU. AND MY SISTER. KISSING. Am I wrong?!" Again, I didn't let him answer. "So I'm SORRY that I wasn't good enough for you. I'm SORRY that you felt the need to make out with Poppyfrost. So you can fuck off and hook up with my whore of a sister. Since you're both lying assholes, I'm sure you'll be happy together."

I opened my mouth to continue my furious tirade, thought better of it, and stormed off, the heavy double doors slamming behind me. The second Berrynose was out of earshot, the meaning of my words caught up to me. I hadn't really been thinking as I raged on. _I called Poppyfrost a whore._ The reality of those words hit me like a bus. She wasn't a whore. She was a girl with a hopeless crush she couldn't let go of. Her love interest just happened to be my boyfriend.

The insults I had directed at Berrynose practically echoed in my ears, and I felt the tears beginning to trickle down my cheeks. This time, I let them flow.

…

 **Berrynose's POV:**

Oh. Shit.

The door slammed shut, and I could hear Honeyfern's furious footsteps for seconds afterwards before they faded. I felt like someone had grabbed my insides and twisted them into a tiny ball. I leaned against the wall, trying to pull in deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I was failing miserably at both.

The gym doors at the end of the hallway were cautiously opened, and Poppyfrost peeped her head out like frightened mouse after a particularly bad storm.

"I-is she gone..?"

"Yeah." My voice was emotionless.

Suddenly, I turned on her. "You do realize", I snarled. "That me and my girlfriend just broke up? Because you can't get over your crush?"

Poppyfrost looked like she wanted the Earth (or artificial wood flooring in this case) to swallow her up.

"I don't like you. And I won't ever like you. Accept it. If you EVER pull something like that, I WILL report you for sexual harassment. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a relationship to fix."

…

I practically kicked open the door to Hazeltail's room. She was sprawled on her bed, headphones over her ears, bobbing her head to some hip-hop number I could hear from 20 yards away.

"Hazeltail?", I asked.

No response. That was to be expected. Her music was so loud I was sincerely wondering how her ears weren't bleeding.

"HAZELTAIL TAKE YOUR DAMN HEADPHONES OFF!"

Well. That got her attention. She chucked her headphones (some really nice ones with white leather padding and blue markings) onto a nearby pillow, and shot me a reproachful glare.

"Stars Berrynose, WHAT?"

"I...need your help.."

She sighed, running her hands over her face. "Well, out with it. What did you fuck up this time?"

I frowned. "What makes you think I screwed something up?"

"Because out of the fourteen times you've asked me for help over the past few months, one hundred percent of the time it was because you screwed something up. So, spit it out. Lexica won't wait all day."

Deciding not to comment on the absurdity of that statement, I sat down on the bed and watched my vertically challenged sister unwrap a peppermint chocolate protein bar. She took a large bite. "Well? Let's hear it."

And hear it she did. I started at the beginning, at how I had asked Honeyfern out, and how Poppyfrost had become irritable and withdrawn toward her sister afterwards. I went on to tell Hazeltail, who was now thoughtfully licking off the wrapper of her protein bar, about what had happened in the gym.

She choked on the last remains of the peppermint chocolate flavored junk food. "Well damn…", she muttered. "Poppyfrost, _Poppyfrost…_ " I stared at her. "What?"

I watched as Hazeltail threw the protein bar wrapper into a nearby garbage bin, basketball style. She watched the silver wrapper neatly soar into the trash, then turned back to me. "Something like that is seriously out of character for Poppyfrost. She's one of the nicest souls I've ever met. She must really like you." Hazeltail sighed, leaning back. "I'd be pretty appalled if she did that to anyone's boyfriend. But her _sister's_ man? That's just on a whole new level of shitty."

I looked at her imploringly. "Yeah, but what about Honeyfern?"

My sister sighed. "Well, for starters, does she _know_ that Poppyfrost kissed you and not the other way around?"

I slowly shook my head.

"Well, there you have it. She thinks you cheated on her with her sister. You know Honeyfern. Kind, witty, and outspoken, but with a temper more explosive than keg of gunpowder. She blows up at stuff real quick. But as quickly as she gets pissed off, she gets over it fast, too."

I nodded, starting to understand. Hazeltail ran a hand through her long brown hair. "Look, if I were you, I'd give Honeyfern a bit of time to cool off. Then you can approach her about the whole thing and tell her what really happened." She wagged her finger at me. "And do it IN PERSON. No self respecting girl is going to appreciate an inconsiderate text message or phone call. But once you tell her, I'm sure she'll understand and get over it. What I'm worried about is what's going to happen between Honeyfern and Poppyfrost. I don't want their relationship to be ruined over a moron like you."

I snorted. "Gee, thanks."

Hazeltail unwrapped a fresh protein bar. "I love you too, bro. Now go try and fix things with your girlfriend, yeah?"

I smiled, closing the door.

 **End Chapter 23**

 **Yeah. That was...fun to write? Not really. That made me sad. I don't like to mess up relationships, especially in a case like this where I actually ship them together.**

 **I always imagined Hazeltail as the super chill sister you could go to for advice in matters like this. I just love Hazeltail. Actually, I love a lot of characters.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading! Please leave me a review, I appreciate every single one and I love reading all the comments (what fanfic author doesn't, in all honesty?)**

 **Yeah. I'm just gonna go now.**

 **Azra out!**


	24. A Deal

**Hexagon**

Chapter 24: A Deal

 **Azra: ::looks up:: Oh, don't mind me. I'm just going through my past author's notes to try and find something I haven't used yet. Opening chapters is hard. Now if you'll excuse me…**

 **Ivypool: ::clears throat:: You do realize they're waiting on you, right?**

 **Lionblaze: *bored* So um….how long is this going to take?**

 **Foxleap: HURRY UP! I have a date tonight! Do you know what Hazeltail is going to do to me if I'm late?!**

 **Azra: Yeesh! FINE! My StarClan, you people are pushy! Alright, thank you to the following people for reviewing:**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Guest**

 **-Brokendawn32005 (x2)**

 **-ShyFerret**

 **I love you all! Now, let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

 **Blossomfall's POV:**

"DING!"

Berrynose shoved his bowl of pasta to the side and practically jumped over the table to lean over my phone, earning himself a smack over the head from Hollyleaf.

"Can you NOT?", she snapped. "That was my history homework you almost crushed!" He gave her an apologetic smile, before turning to me.

"Is it from Honeyfern?", he asked hopefully. I unlocked my phone and scrolled through my recent texts. Sure enough, I had received a new one:

 _To whomever it may concern:_

 _Please note that Blossomfall of Thunder has 1 book (Icha Icha Paradise) overdue. Please return it to the library at your earliest convenience._

 _-Whitewing (Hexagon Library Media Specialist)_

Berrynose leaned over my shoulder and gave me a teasing smirk. "Icha Icha Paradise, huh?" I blushed. "Shut up", I muttered. Berrynose sat back down with surprisingly little protest. He seemed extremely put out. Berrynose is NEVER put out.

Out of pity, I pulled my phone back out of my pocket and drew up Honeyfern's contact. I sent her a hesitant message.

 _Blossomfall: you still mad over what happened with Berry and Poppy?_

 _Honeyfern: yes_

 _Blossomfall: do you even know what happened_

 _Honeyfern: yes. I'm just still pissed and i have a right to be pissed_

 _Honeyfern: who does that? Like wtf_

Knowing it would get Berrynose's attention, I remarked offhandedly, "I got a text from Honeyfern." He was over at my side of the table in an instant, trying read over my shoulder.

 _Blossomfall: like if you met Berrynose right now what would you do_

 _Honeyfern: drop-kick him off a cliff_

"What did she say?", he asked eagerly. I cleared my throat awkwardly. "That she wants to drop-kick you off a cliff." Berrynose visibly deflated. Another "DING!" came from my phone.

 _Honeyfern: i guess. I'm not really pissed at him anymore_

 _Honeyfern: although I'm really mad at poppy_

I typed out a response.

 _Blossomfall: that's fair_

And it was. I would be absolutely livid in her place. I handed Berrynose my phone and let him read my texts with Honeyfern. He looked like a kid who found out Christmas came early. Within seconds, he had cleared his spot on the table and was bolting out of the room. I smiled, shaking my head.

…

 **Poppyfrost's POV:**

I screwed up. Big time.

Way to go, Poppyfrost. Now your crush hates you, and your sister to boot. Knowing that Honeyfern probably wanted to shred me alive made my heart ache and my eyes sting. I rubbed my eyes and walked on, rounding a corner. I found myself standing in front of a pair of sliding doors, where a large group of students was already assembled. Ferncloud and Ashfoot, who are two of the Language Arts teachers at Hexagon, stood in front of the doors, giving instructions to the assembled mass.

"Please deposit your backpacks against the side of the hallway and enter the room. In the case that you finish the test early, please bring a reading book with you. Pencils and scratch paper will be provided if necessary."

Shit. I forgot about testing.

I clearly wasn't the only one. We just got back from lunch; everyone was feeling antsy. I dug a reading book (a sappy romance novel, which I have no problem admitting) out of my bag and lined up by the door. Hollyleaf, who was in the same period as me, looked somewhat confident and strangely, partly worried.

We were admitted into the testing area one at a time, after the teachers made sure that no one had their phone on them. Who would be stupid enough to try and get their phone into the room, I don't know. Considering the large " _NO UNAUTHORIZED ELECTRONICS IN THE TESTING AREA"_ signs that were plastered to the wall every two feet.

The "testing area" was actually Ferncloud's classroom. All the Language Arts-themed decorations had been taken off the walls and the desks had been spread apart and covered in privacy screens. I assumed this was to make sure no one could try and peek at another person's laptop. Yes, the test is taken on laptops. We used to do it on paper but the teachers eventually realized how many trees they were murdering and switched over to a digital test.

Every student who entered was handed a small yellow card printed with their name and student ID, as well as their seat number. My seat number was #14. I shuffled among the desks and eventually found my seat in the bottom left corner.

The room filled up fast. Ferncloud stood at the front of the room, cleared her throat, and said loudly, "Today you will be taking the Hexagon Language Arts Test Part One. In this part, you will be asked to answer a series of multiple choice questions. Please note the test is divided into three segments. Once you move on from a segment, you will no longer be able to go back and change your answers. You may begin. Good luck!"

The first question asked me read a text and answer the questions about the text. The topic had me reeling in shock. Printed on my computer screen, it said:

 _Infidelity_

 _Infəˈdelədē_

 _the action or state of being unfaithful to a spouse or other romantic partner._

 _"her infidelity continued after her marriage"_

 _synonyms: unfaithfulness, adultery, disloyalty_

The question was asking me to explain how infidelity affects trust in a relationship. Suddenly, I felt like I wanted to cry. I hurriedly answered the question and went on to the rest of test. When the period was over, I had finished a good third of the exam, but I didn't feel satisfied in the least.

So I did what I deemed the best option: looked for advice. I don't know why, but my feet led me to a member of Shadow named Redwillow. I didn't know him very well, and had only ever seen him in passing. But he got involved in drama a lot, and somehow he always pulled through in the end.

So I sought him out, despite the little voice in the back of my head that kept whispering, "This is an awful idea". I ignored it.

I found the redheaded third year in the Shadow common room. I sat down across from him, and when he nodded, I started to speak.

The conversation with Redwillow became a longer one. He nodded sympathetically every once in a while and made small remarks, but other than that, he just listened. When I had finished explaining everything to him, he spoke up.

"So you're jealous." At hearing those three words, I was immediately on the defensive. "No!", I snapped. "I'm just...mildly envious of Honeyfern's situation." He arched a ginger eyebrow. "Okay, whatever you say. Listen, that stuff will kill you from the inside if you're not careful. It fills your mind and clouds your judgement, and drives you to make choices that you would never make otherwise."

"But surely…" I trailed off, thinking better of what I had been about to say. "There must be something I can do, right? So that won't lose myself to it again?"

Redwillow smirked. "There might be a way." I looked at him hopefully, willing him to fill me in. "That way is to win. To show him that you're better than your sister. And I know someone who might be able to help you with that."

My conscience was practically screaming at me to turn around, walk away, and go apologize to Honeyfern. But I found myself rooted in place. "Yeah?", I breathed. "Who would that be?"

…

Who? I found that out much sooner than I anticipated. Just that evening, I found myself at Redwillow's side in the one part of the school we were absolutely forbidden from going.

I felt very, very small, standing there in my pajamas, being curiously stared at by a group of very intimidating people. "Poppyfrost?", Redwillow said sweetly. "I'd like you to meet Brokenstar."

Brokenstar was a broad shouldered, imposing man with brown hair that was tied back. Half of his head was shaved, proudly showing a series of crisscrossing scars on his scalp. He wore golden earrings.

"Hello, Poppyfrost", he rumbled. He extended his hand. And then, I made the biggest mistake of my life up to this point.

I shook it.

 **End Chapter 24**

 **Heh…**

 **I didn't originally have this planned, but I thought I'd show just how the Dark Forest actually recruits people. I remember the scene from the books where Hawkfrost is using Ivypool's envy of Dovewing against her and uses it to persuade her to essentially give up her freedom. I tried to incorporate that here. And...did anyone catch the Naruto reference?**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	25. Into the Place of No Stars

**Hexagon**

Chapter 25: Into the Place of No Stars

 **Wow...it feels really nice NOT to procrastinate on updating. Maybe I'll finally be a few chapters ahead for once!**

 **Hollyleaf: ::coughs:: Let's not get ahead of ourselves.**

 **This is one of my longest chapters and it's all in a single person's POV. That's a first for me. Anyway, thank you to the following fabulous people for reviewing:**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Lulurocks01 (x3)**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **-Guest**

 **Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

 **Poppyfrost's POV:**

The first meeting was a lot sooner than I anticipated. The paper had been unceremoniously crushed into my fingers by a brutal looking Wind who had been walking by me. In passing, he had hissed in my ears, "Destroy after reading, dipshit."

I glared after him, withdrew to a quiet corner where I was more or less alone, and smoothed out the paper.

 _W46:_

 _2300 hours. Attendance mandatory._

2300 hours? So basically 11 pm? I wasn't completely sure what W46 meant and I didn't particularly care. Dread was breeding ice in my stomach, and I felt the first traces of terror settling in. I shredded the paper and put the scraps in my mouth like I had seen people in spy movies do, and tried force the substance down.

It was nasty. Having a mouthful of what was essentially wood pulp looked a lot easier when James Bond was doing it. I swallowed. With difficulty. After rinsing my mouth out at the nearest water fountain, I hurried into my dorm room and rummaged through my closet. I settled on simple clothing: black ripped skinny jeans, combat boots, and a dark turtleneck.

The time passed way too fast. One second I was despairing over a mountain of trigonometry homework, the next, I was glaring at my wristwatch, which now read _10:23 pm._

The dorm doors automatically slid open, and I slipped into the dark hall. It was deathly quiet, like a dark omen. Normally, the school is buzzing with energy well after midnight. The strange silence made my hair stand up and goosebumps to crawl down my skin.

"Oh, look. It's the noob." I spun. Standing behind me were two Shadow seniors. One carried a baseball bat over his shoulder. The other was twirling a kunai knife on his index finger. The one with the kunai knife leaned forward, grinning. " _Poppyfrost,_ was it?" I nodded shyly. "Walk with us."

The tone in his voice left no room for argument. So, I found myself awkwardly walking between two leering seniors who looked like they could tear telephone directories in half with their bare hands.

...yeah.

Less than comfortable.

Kunai Knife eventually introduced himself as Crowfrost, and Baseball Bat as Ratscar. "So", Ratscar rumbled. "Why did you join?" I kept my eyes firmly pinned to the floor. "What do you mean?", I ventured. My voice only wavered a little bit, I noted proudly. Crowfrost laughed. A deep, loud, mocking laugh that echoed off walls and made me want to sink into the floor.

"Come now girlie, everyone joins for one reason or the other. Some feel rejected or overshadowed, others are bitter about things that happened in their lives. But most.." His voice got very quiet, as if trying to increase the suspense. "Are jealous." He grinned wide. "I'm sure you can relate with that, huh girlie?"

I glared. "Don't call me girlie."

Crowfrost ignored me and continued on. "So, what was it? Grades? Looks? Social status? Or maybe...a boy?" I shot him the darkest death glare I could muster, and he laughed again. "Or a girl, I don't judge."

I spun. "That", I hissed. "Is none of your business."

The second those word left my mouth, his eyes went from mocking, to dark and ice cold. "You're going to want to watch how you speak to me, girlie. Because in the Dark Forest, it's nothing like out here. The strong prevail and the weak die. There's no room for runts." He seized me by the front of my turtleneck. I struggled, panic beginning to set in. "And you, girlie." His voice was dangerously soft. "Are a runt."

He dropped me on the floor, and I scrambled back up, shaken. I was very much beginning to regret my decision. The doors at the end of the hallway automatically slid to the sides, and we stepped into a larger, open area filled with windows. The night outside was still, the clouds moving slowly past underneath the sector buildings, barely disturbed by the hum of the engines. The stars twinkled coldly.

Only the room wasn't empty. Waiting impatiently by the entrance to the Dark Sector were maybe a dozen people, dressed in dark clothing and holding a variety of weapons. One girl had shurikens strapped to her belt, another was fondling a set of throwing knives. There was a boy who had a silver mace slung over his shoulder.

"Finally", Mace snapped, pointing his spiked weapon in our general direction. "Next time, we're going in without you. See how Brokenstar reacts when you get stuck outside the light barrier."

Ratscar didn't look particularly concerned as he shoved Mace out of the way. "I'm sorry, Owlclaw", he rumbled. "Did you say something?" Mace, whose name was apparently Owlclaw, just glared and unlocked the light barrier.

I stared in disbelief as the glowing blue wall slowly faded into nothingness. "I..", I whispered. "I...thought those were impenetrable." Crowfrost walked past and seized my arm, dragging me across the hall and into the Dark Sector. "You thought wrong", he said flatly. "And...another thing. Tell anyone how we open the light barriers and Brokenstar will have you murdered in your sleep."

With that very convincing argument in mind, I followed the group silently. I glanced at my watch. _10:56 pm._ Right on time.

A pair of soundproof doors was opened, and I was herded into a large room I hadn't seen before. The last time I was in the Dark Sector, I hadn't even actually gone past the light barrier. Now, here I was, in the heart of the most forbidden place at Hexagon.

The room was already full, a sea of students, many of which I recognized, standing at the front of the room where they received their match ups from several Dark Forest members. There were SO MANY PEOPLE. People in classes with me, people in my homeroom, hell, even the occasional person I sat with during break. I had no idea just how many people were in the Dark Forest. Their sheer numbers were terrifying.

Just as I was about to venture into the mass of people, Brokenstar seemed to glide in out of nowhere and took me aside.

"Noobs always get a pass on the first matches", he intoned. "Come. It's time to pick out your weapon." He led me into a side room with a heavy steel plated door and plexiglass windows. The doors slowly slid open to reveal the dimly lit area. But what really caught my attention: weapons after weapons, a dozen maces piled into crates, spears and staffs neatly bundled into a wicker basket, blades like throwing knives, sais, kunai knives, shurikens, swords and axes hanging from various hooks on the wall.

I stared, impressed. Until I realized something very crucial: there wasn't a single long distance weapon in the entire lot. Not a single firearm. Not even a longbow or crossbow. Which was extremely unusual, considering that in this day and age, practically all warfare was done using mass-murder long distance weapons, and here I was, surrounded by weapons that only required medieval technology at best.

Bewildered, I voiced my observations to Brokenstar. "Why aren't there any firearms?", I asked. "It's 2064, no one uses this kind of weaponry anymore." Brokenstar's eyes suddenly seemed to ice over, and I noticed that he rested his hand on a gun-shaped bulge at his hip.

"Because", he said, his voice sugary sweet. "We can't have students running around with guns, can we now?" I opened my mouth and was about to point out that having students run around with knives wasn't a very good idea either when I saw the look on Brokenstar's face and promptly clamped my mouth shut. I heard about what happened with Beetlewhisker, I know Brokenstar doesn't mind killing his followers.

Brokenstar stepped back, with his painfully wide smile plastered back on his face. "Let's hurry this along. The battle stimulation starts soon, and you don't want to miss your first fight, now do you?" Actually, I would be more than happy to miss my first fight and not get beat up, but that didn't seem like an option. So, I strode through the room, running my fingers over weapon after weapon, and eventually settled on a katana in a metallic black sheath. Attached to the sheath was a length of red fabric.

Being mindful of the blade, I carefully fastened the red fabric to a loop in my belt, and nearly toppled over. The katana was _heavy._ The sheath alone weighed what seemed like a ton. Brokenstar, at seeing my predicament, waved his hand dismissively. "You get used to it pretty quickly", he informed me. "Especially in the heat of battle."

Fear shot through me for what seemed like the millionth time today alone, having just been reminded that I would soon be thrown in a bloody fight to possible death with no experience whatsoever.

The battle scarred brunette practically shoved me out the door and back into the main room. Most of the fights were over by now. Low ranking Dark Forest members were scurrying onto the battlefields and dragging the unconscious off into a sideroom. The people who had just finished their fights were heading to a large sandy battlefield in the center of the room. The losers were easy to tell apart. All of them were bleeding badly from somewhere. At least half were limping. And then there were several that looked practically dead on their feet.

Brokenstar stood in the center of the battle worn mass and was making an announcement. "We will now begin the battle stimulation. Thunder and Wind, go with Tigerstar. River and Shadow, you're with me." The mass peeled off into two roughly equal groups. Tigerstar walked among us, passing out red armbands. I fastened mine onto my right bicep when I saw the people around me doing the same. Across the field, River and Shadow students were wearing blue armbands.

I was standing on the bloodstained battlefield before I knew what was happening. All around me, students looked tense, gripping their weapons. Everyone had their eyes fixed on the opposing group across the field. It occurred to me that I should probably unsheathe my katana.

The yell that came from Tigerstar's mouth echoed throughout the room in a horrible crescendo. "Thunder, Wind! ATTACK!" And so we did. Red and blue met in bloody chaos. The clash of weapons, screams of pain. My head pounded, stars swam before my eyes. _What's happening? What am I doing here?_

Suddenly, I found myself on my back, pinned to the floor by a hulking shadow with a baseball bat. Ratscar had his knees on my arms, keeping me firmly pressed to the ground. I looked around me. The fight kept going, despite the fact I was about to die, here, on this dirty bloodstained sand. There were so many people I knew. Birchfall had some scrawny River in a chokehold. I saw a flash of reddish blonde hair, it's owner fighting off a bulky redhead. Ratscar was still pinning me down, and I let myself flop onto the sand in defeat. He was grinning maniacally, raising the bat, about to crack it over my head..

And then he went tumbling off of me. I saw the flash of metal, the glint of light in dark gray hair. Mousewhisker..?

He was staring at me in horror as he pulled me up. "WHAT are you doing here?!", he hissed. "It'd better not be because of my moron of a brother." I just stared. "Listen. You need to GO. Brokenstar usually cuts noobs some slack because they don't know any of the major secrets yet. If you leave RIGHT NOW then you might have a chance." I saw someone coming at me through the corner of my eye. Mousewhisker fended them off.

Was he….protecting me?

I heard Crowfrost's voice echoing in my ears. " _The strong prevail and the weak die. There's no room for runts."_ I saw Brokenstar watching from the other side of the room, his mouth set in a grim line. I took a deep breath. I couldn't let Mousewhisker get in trouble on my behalf. Hell, if I didn't get my ass in gear right now, we'd both be fucked. I shoved him off of me, gripping my katana tight. "You don't need to protect me. I can do this." With that, I plunged back into the fray.

If only I was as confident as I sounded.

 **End Chapter 25**

 **Wow. Poor Poppyfrost. Hmmmmm I'm kinda starting to see Mousewhisker and Poppyfrost together...I'm starting to think this might become a thing…what do you guys think?**

 **Reviews plz? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	26. Mornings Suck

**Hexagon**

Chapter 26: Mornings Suck

 **Guyyys guess what? Summer vacation! Which means less homework for me (summer school...ugh) and faster updates for you! Yaaaaa-**

 **Jayfeather: ::facepalm:: Are you done?**

 **Azra: Tch. Rude. I control you, you know.**

 **Jayfeather: Don't remind me. I'd rather not suffer any more embarrassment at your hands.**

 **Azra: Whaaat? *realization* HEY!**

 **Jayfeather: Thank you to the following peo-**

 **Arza: That's my line, jerk!**

 **Jayfeather: -ple for reviewing:**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Breezestar**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-Stormbreeze of BlazeClan**

 **-Guest**

 **-HeAtHeRDiAmOnDs**

 **-izzyhordy78**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Azra: THAT'S STILL MY LINE!**

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

What did I just see. Poppyfrost. IN THE DARK FOREST.

What?

I hurried along, nursing a bloodied lip and a black eye, heading toward the hospital wing. I zipped up my jacket and tried to pull my hood as far over my face as possible to hide the injuries. In the end, it wasn't necessary. I didn't run into anyone.

I slid into the hospital wing, already cooking up a new excuse to tell the nurse who had the night shift. Leafpool of all people was on duty. Just my luck. The pale brunette took one look at my bleeding face and freaked out, scurrying around, gathering medical supplies. She rushed over to my side, pulling the hood down and examining my face.

"Lionblaze! Oh honey, what happened?" This is why I prefer to have Cinderpelt treat me. Not only does she look like Cinderheart, but she swallows my lies (I know she doesn't believe them) and just fixes me up. I have a sneaking suspicion that she has a pretty good idea of what goes on in the Dark Sector.

Leafpool treated me like a very small child as she interrogated me on how I got the injuries. Before I knew it, the blood had been cleaned from my face and a cold pack was being gently pressed to the area around my eye. Through the other eye, I saw Leafpool giving me the Concerned Mother Glare.

"Sweetheart, I'm not going to laugh at you. You can tell me who beat you up." I scoffed. If Leafpool knew that there were hundreds, maybe even a thousand students who fought in the Dark Forest, she would have a heart attack. Especially since most of these students never sought medical help, unless it was really serious. But then again, it was for cases like those that the Dark Forest had Bloodwhisker, a member of the Dark Forest who was surprisingly competent when it came to treating injuries.

"Nobody beat me up", I lisped around my swollen lip. "I fell and face planted into a potted cactus." Leafpool glared at me. "Now is not the time for jokes, young man!", she scolded me. I thought she would continue to ream me out, but she was probably too tired to push the matter. I was thankful for that.

I unlocked my dorm door, finding Jayfeather still awake, listening to an audiobook. I tried to tiptoe around him. No success.

"Who did it?", he asked. It never failed to surprise me how he could always tell when I acquired injuries in the Dark Forest, especially since he couldn't see. I grumbled, setting the ice pack down. "Breezepelt. That fucker attacked me when I had my back turned."

"I hope you're not surprised. It's the Dark Forest."

I glared at the floor. "I'm not."

There was silence for a moment, then Jayfeather spoke up. "So...who was on duty tonight?" I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "Leafpool." Jayfeather laughed out loud, and then asked, "How did that go for you?" I half-heartedly threw a pillow at the wall, and replied, "Shitty. She interrogated me for half an hour before she finally let it go. Honestly, you'd think I was three!" The blind medic shrugged. "She cares. You know she treats me and Holly the same right?

I opened my mouth to respond when my phone let out a loud "DING!" I pulled it out of my back pocket and found a new message from Ashfur. I curiously opened the unread message.

 _Hey everyone!_

 _Since there's a fairly good chance that most of you are still awake at 2 am, I thought I would remind you that we have a training session bright and early tomorrow morning. Good night!_

 _-Ashfur_

I swore violently as I hurriedly threw my Dark Forest clothes into our shared laundry hamper. "Leave it to Ashfur to schedule an early session on a Saturday morning! That evil, sadistic, screwed u-"

"Lionblaze. Go to sleep." Jayfeather was glaring at me with his sightless blue eyes, and as if to further his point, slammed off the lights. Still muttering in irritation, I cranked up the air conditioning and slid between the sheets.

…

Ashfur wasn't kidding when he said "bright and early". We were assembled in the gym at 6 am, many of us with less than 4 hours of sleep under our belt, shooting our dark haired coach death glares. Thornclaw, who regularly stayed up partying late into the night, had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he wanted to kill someone.

Cinderheart was leaning into my shoulder, eyes closed, mumbling something about gunpowder and floral arrangements. I prodded her shoulder. "You might want to wake up now." She groaned. "Noooooo...five more minutes.." I decided to try something else. "Ashfur wants you to start in the game." Her eyes shot open, the sapphire blue suddenly clear and unclouded.

"Really?!" I grinned. "What happened to 'five more minutes'?" Cinderheart glared, flipped me off, and straightened to face the rest of the team, which looked equally sleep deprived. "You, sir", she declared. "Are an ass."

Just then did I realize that Icecloud and Toadstep were smirking at us. "Awwwww", Icecloud cooed. "When are you two getting married?" Cinderheart flipped her off as well, but was smothering a grin.

Ashfur cleared his throat. "Are we all awake?", he asked. He was met by a series of "Nooooooo"s. Smirking, the raven rubbed his hands together, looking particularly evil. "Do we need something to wake us up?" The team, which clearly had a coffee run to the Dining Hall in mind, nodded blearily.

Ashfur set his stopwatch. "Take 4 laps around the gym. That should wake us up." Grumbling and muttering curses, the team set out to run the track. As much as it sucked in the moment, when we got back, I did feel considerably better. My veins were humming, and I no longer felt the need to hold my eyelids open with matchsticks.

Ashfur looked very pleased with himself as the last of the team jogged over the spray painted line on the track. Grinning even more still, he assigned several people to being defenders and started a possession drill. Cinderheart, who was playing for the first time in a few months, played surprising well, even though she was more than a little rusty. Not that anyone could blame her. It could very well be a school record: breaking an ankle and then getting stabbed in the foot with glass.

After almost an hour of the drill, which Ashfur frequently paused to make adjustments, the dark haired coach was finally satisfied and moved on to something else. That "something else" turned out to be running. For the remaining thirty minutes, with sprints at the end. Yay us.

At the end of practice, Ashfur was smiling in a very self-satisfied way, surrounded by a group of sweaty, tired, and overall irritable soccer players. Cinderheart had it by far the worst, having not played for months. She was doubled over, leaning on my shoulder, drawing in breath in pants. "Put your hands on your head", I whispered to her. "It makes breathing easier." She raised her arms and crossed them over her head, trying to level her breathing. She managed eventually, straightening to face the rest of the team.

...only to be met by a legion of cheshire cat grins. Icecloud and Toadstep were back to making kissy faces, while Berrynose was making a crude gesture with his fingers. Cinderheart's cheeks turned a seemingly impossible shade of red, and she pulled up her collar the hide her face.

Ashfur, who had been watching the entire thing play out while stifling his laughter, now cleared his throat. "All right people, enough with the screwing around. Our game against Rushing Water is next Friday. We're going to have two more practices before the game. Until then, do whatever you have to do, just please take care of yourselves. We don't need anybody getting hurt right before the game." Ashfur looked pointedly at a certain silverette. " _Right, Cinderheart?"_ She mock saluted, grinning. "Yes, sir."

"Alright then, you're free to go." The dark haired coach turned around and started to pick up his equipment. The rest of us started out the door. The hallway was refreshingly cool, the air conditioner on full blast. Looks like the technicians finally found the time to fix the thermostat. We walked to the Dining Hall for breakfast in a large group, the rest of the team chattering excitedly. Thornclaw was moaning about being tired. Ivypool was keeping to herself for the most part, occasionally speaking to Cinderheart and Icecloud.

I, on the other hand, spoke to no one. My mind was going a million miles a minute, circling around and around, but somehow always ending up at the same thing. What the hell was Poppyfrost doing in the Dark Forest?

 **End Chapter 26**

 **I hope you all enjoyed my self-indulgent Cinderblaze fluff. I couldn't help it.**

 **Reviews plz? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	27. Arguments

**Hexagon**

Chapter 27: Arguments

 **::waves:: Hi people! Welcome back! Sooooo despite the fact that I am now on summer vacation, my summer school teacher kindly assigned us 10 hours worth of homework (NO, I am not kidding. That is actually how long it took. Thankfully we had several days to do it). On another note: Germany beat Sweden! I'm so proud of my country! Because honestly, it would have been humiliating if the reigning World Cup champions got eliminated this early in the tournament. And therefore, this chapter is in honor of Toni Kroos's beautiful last minute goal.**

 **Update (6/27/18): Actually, scratch that. They did get eliminated. Dishonor! ::disappointed Azra glare::**

 **Anyway. Moving on. Thank you to the following people for reviewing:**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **-Tigercry**

 **-HeAtHeRDiAmOnDs**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Guest**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **Yay! On with the fic!**

 **Berrynose's POV:**

We entered the Dining Hall as more or less a group. Then we split up, Lionblaze and I making a beeline for the food, the rest of the team sitting at their usual tables. I seized a plate and started piling on breakfast pizzas. It's a dish that Millie and Daisy have been experimenting with lately, and is essentially a pizza shaped pastry covered in yogurt and sliced fruit and sometimes even chocolate sauce if Millie is feeling generous.

As luck would have it, she was this morning, and I spent the first few minutes licking chocolate sauce off the plate. All while ignoring the reprimanding glares Hazeltail was shooting me. Hollyleaf, Jayfeather, Cinderheart, Lionblaze, Icecloud, Bumblestripe, Mousewhisker and Foxleap were already seated at the table when I sat down.

Hollyleaf had an official letter sitting in front of her, as did several other people at the table. But that didn't seem to faze anyone. They were all leaned over Hollyleaf's letter, anxiously trying to see what was written in it.

"What's in there?", I whispered to Bumblestripe. "Quarterfinal results", he muttered back. "How much do you want to bet that Hollyleaf got an A?" I shrugged, directing my gaze back to the ravenette, who was opening her letter with shaking fingers. She pulled out the neat papers inside, unfolded them, and promptly looked extremely disappointed.

"What did you get?", Lionblaze asked curiously, shoveling a syrup drenched waffle into his mouth. "I-I don't want to say..", Hollyleaf whispered. "It's r-really bad.." Lionblaze looked unconvinced. Not bothering to wipe the syrup from his nose (how he got maple syrup there is beyond me), he snatched the letter from his sister's hand. Hollyleaf immediately tried to grab it back, but failed.

The strawberry blond glared at her. "Oh wow, Holly. An overall grade of...93%. And you call that BAD? Disgusting." He threw the letter back at her. Icecloud seized the paper next, skimmed it, and said enviously, "I got an 86% overall grade. I knew I should have studied harder." She directed her gaze at her brother, and asked, "Foxleap, what did you get?" The redheaded prankster was currently occupied with trying to find out how much bacon he could stuff into his mouth without accidentally puking. He slid his letter over to Icecloud without so much as a second thought.

The blond read the letter, and turned a furious shade of red. "Foxleap", she said, her voice clipped. "You got a 61% overall." Foxleap swallowed his mouthful of salty, greasy pork and smiled cheerfully. "Your point?" And it was then that Icecloud lost the pinch she had over self-control. "FOXLEAP, YOU _FAILED!",_ she bellowed. The redhead smiled, completely unfazed by the blond she-demon that now looked like she was plotting ways to murder her brother. "Yep!", he said happily.

He even popped the "p".

BIG MISTAKE.

Because Icecloud produced a soccer cleat out of seemingly nowhere, and started using it to beat Foxleap around the face. When the enraged blond finally withdrew, both of Foxleap's cheeks were smarting and covered in cleat prints. Icecloud sat down and started scraping down the inside of her yogurt bowl, looking like she regretted nothing.

She probably didn't.

Foxleap took this moment to look around the table, and as he did so, he noticed something. "Poppyfrost isn't here", he said suddenly. "Has anyone seen her recently?" The reactions of people around the table varied greatly. Honeyfern and I had more or less the same feelings about it, a mixture of concern and guilt. Bumblestripe was so out of the loop where gossip was concerned, that he still didn't know about what happened between me, Honeyfern, and Poppyfrost. So he was pretty much indifferent.

Lionblaze's face had suddenly become an expressionless mask, eyes blank, mouth set into a grim line. But Mousewhisker…

The pale blond's fists were visibly clenched, teeth pressed tightly together, a sort of icy fire burning in eyes. He stood up abruptly, his chair squealing as it was violently pushed back. He strode over to...me? "Berrynose." The way he said my name was so cold, I felt myself becoming uneasy. "We need to talk." I laughed. It came out sounding fake. It was. "You sound like you're breaking up with me."

Mousewhisker wasn't having any of it. "NOW", he snapped. I huffed, and shot him a look. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm coming, geez." Mousewhisker gestured with his hand for me to follow him outside the Dining Hall. We were standing in a deserted corridor outside the French doors, sunlight pouring in through the massive windows. The second the heavy French doors had fallen shut, Mousewhisker rounded on me.

"What. Did. You. Do." His voice was a low growl and seemed to scratch at the insides of my ears. "What?", I asked dumbly. Mousewhisker lost it. Whatever handle he had over his self control disappeared. "Poppyfrost, you dipshit! What did you do to her?!"

"I didn't do anything!", I retorted. "Why are you assuming that this is my fault?" Mousewhisker seized me by the collar, and shoved me against the wall. "She had feelings for you! I can't be mad at you for liking someone else, but it broke her heart when you hooked up with Honeyfern. She was okay until recently. Something happened between the three of you, and Poppyfrost definitely got the worst of it!"

I had finally started fighting back. I shoved him off of me. "Do you have any idea what actually happened in the gym?" Not giving him time to respond, I went on, "She came up to ME. She kissed ME. Right as Honeyfern came in. This isn't my fault. Poppyfrost's actions are her own, and so are the consequences. So for the love of fucking StarClan, stop putting the blame on me for a situation I would rather have avoided anyway. Do you honestly think I wanted to be involved in all this pointless drama?!"

I might have been out of breath, but Mousewhisker wasn't done. "Do you know where I saw her last night?", he hissed. I slowly shook my head. "The Dark Forest."

I felt my legs slowly give out under me. "No", I whispered. "You don't joke about things like that." If anything, more anger flooded into Mousewhisker's face. But this time it wasn't directed at me. It was directed at...himself? He fell into a seated position on the floor next to me. "I should have done more", he muttered. "Brokenstar usually cuts the newbies some slack because they don't actually know anything yet. I should have dragged her out of there, made her see reason. I can't get out of the Dark Forest anymore, I was an idiot and waited too long. Poppyfrost might still have a chance."

He didn't look at me as he stood up, nor did he utter any kind of apology for essentially accusing me of something I have no control over anyway. He walked away, hands dug into his pockets, head down.I waited for a little bit, and walked to my own dorm. I'd lost my appetite.

…

 **Mousewhisker's POV:**

I feel like an ass. Which is very well deserved, now that I think about. Because if I'm honest with myself, I had no idea what happened between Berrynose, Honeyfern, and Poppyfrost. I just automatically assumed that this entire _thing,_ or whatever else I should call it, is Berrynose's fault. Admittedly, these kinds of things are usually his fault.

Believe it or not, being a chick magnet sucks sometimes. Not that I would know, because I am the complete opposite of a chick magnet.

Whatever this entire debacle is, I've had enough of it. That's why I'm on my way to Poppyfrost's dorm. I missed my earlier chance to talk some sense into her thick head, so I might as well make another. I rapped sharply on her door, trying to get the message across through the high-tech door. I mean business. Honestly, I didn't expect her to open the door. But it slid open soundlessly, revealing the girl that stood behind it.

She gave me one look, and promptly burst into tears.

 **End Chapter 27**

 **The ending was a little rushed, my bad. I'm running out of time here, and I don't want to make this update any later than it already is. In case you haven't noticed, I've been trying to update every Sunday….and today is Monday. Whoops?**

 **Despite my lateness…..reviews plz? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	28. The Spring Fling?

**Hexagon**

Chapter 28: The Spring Fling..?

 **::pops up randomly on the screen:: Heeeeya! Welcome back, y'all!**

 **Lionblaze: *flatly* Please stop.**

 **Anyway, thanks for the following people for all their lovely reviews:**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **-Azzie Girl**

 **-Shiisu**

 **-SilverLynx57**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Spottedice (x2)**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-Guest**

 **I'm writing this while my younger brothers are watching Sword Art Online. Seriously, they need to turn the volume down. Moving on! On with the fic!**

 **Mousewhisker's POV:**

Poppyfrost was a mess. Her hair was hanging in rat's tails, her eyes puffy and ringed in red from crying. Her skin was grimy, her clothes stained. She was wearing a loose tank top that showed her back, which was covered in bruises. Her lower lip was split and bleeding lazily. Gripped tightly in her hand was a katana. The second she saw me, she threw the weapon down and wrapped me in a tight hug.

"What are you doing here?", she asked tearfully. I fixed her with a sharp stare. "Can I come in?", I asked quietly. The redhead stepped aside, the entrance to her dorm behind her. I took this as a sign that she was allowing me to enter, and silently stepped inside the room.

In sharp contrast to Poppyfrost herself, the area was impossibly neat, even Honeyfern's side of the room, who was known to be disorganized. Both beds were made, sheets pulled crisply over the mattress, pillows neatly arranged. The window blinds were pulled wide open, sunlight pouring into the room. The floor was free of dirty laundry or similar clutter.

In looking around, I realized something very important: Honeyfern's bed was unslept in. The completely undented mattress and the perfectly smooth sheets, paired with the unnerving cleanliness of the area suggested that the honey blond hadn't been in the room for...perhaps a week? Poppyfrost had sunk into her own bed, her filthy clothes leaving stains on the white sheets. The housekeeping staff was going to have fun getting those out later.

I got right to business, fixing Poppyfrost with the most solemn stare I could muster. "Poppyfrost", I said. She looked up, rubbing at her eyes. "Where is Honeyfern?"

Just like that, she started crying again. I felt a wave of hopelessness rise up inside of me, and I stood up to sit down next to her. "Hey…", I tried. "It's okay. You, uh...can stop crying now..?" Poppyfrost rubbed at her eyes and tried to pull herself together. She hiccupped. "Honeyfern isn't sleeping here anymore. She didn't-" Another hiccup. "-feel comfortable living in the same room as me. She's-" Sob. "-sharing a room Hollyleaf and Cinderheart."

The emotions that surged through me were a mix of anger and pity. Did Honeyfern not know what was going on with her sister? Or DID she know, and just didn't care? Either way, I couldn't leave Poppyfrost alone. She was in tears again, but this time, I let her cry. After all the shit that had gone down, she deserved it.

It was a good twenty minutes until Poppyfrost calmed herself. I looked her over, and noted that she had injuries that definitely required medical attention, and I knew very well that she would refuse to go the hospital wing. So, after getting a roll of bandages, antibiotic ointment, and a warm, wet cloth, I scooched closer to her. I took a moment to pray that I wouldn't get slapped (Poppyfrost had a bit of an explosive temper herself) and started to clean the wound on her shoulder. Poppyfrost turned to stare at me.

I felt my cheeks burn and ducked my head down. "You should have done something about these cuts a long time ago. I'm pretty sure they're infected", I muttered. She continued to stare. "I...don't have sterile gloves or anything. Sorry." Poppyfrost just sighed and turned away, letting me finish wrapping the bandages around her arm.

"Why are you doing this?", she asked. Her voice was soft, barely audible. Now it was my turn to stare. "Because I'm semi-decent person. Is everyone else so blind they didn't realize that you need help?" She was silent, but I continued on. "That's not the only reason I came here actually. I came here to tell you that you need to LEAVE."

I started cleaning another cut, not looking at her. Suddenly, my head shot up so I was looking her in the face. " _What_ were you thinking?", I hissed. "Do you have any idea what goes on in the Dark Forest? I'd say you have another 24 hours tops to quit and run like hell." I lowered my head again. "Afterwards", I breathed. "There's no leaving." "I know." Poppyfrost's voice was wavering as she spoke. "But you're wrong." She pressed her eyes shut, a single tear forcing its way out. "It's already too late."

I froze, staring. Poppyfrost didn't cry this time. Instead, her fists were clenched, her eyes fixed on the floor, her voice hoarse. "What _was_ I thinking? Honestly, wouldn't I like to know." She turned to look me in the face. "You were right, Mousewhisker. I should have left when I had the chance."

…

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

The tension that had settled over the table slowly began to ease up after Mousewhisker and Berrynose left. Foxleap made every attempt to cheer the rest of us up, like flinging grapes at Onestar from across the room. When that didn't work, he pulled on a tutu he got from who-knows-where and started sexy dancing on the table. This earned him a week of double detention from a very irritable, grape juice covered Onestar, who seemed all too happy to hand the redhead the violently red paper.

I stood up, and saw that Daisy was handing out chocolate eclairs at the front of the room. Quickly dumping my bag on my chair to make sure no one tried to steal it, I made my way to the buffet setup. I speak from experience in this case. There have been times when some random Lionblaze fangirl tried to steal my chair because I was sitting next to him. Tch. Talk about desperate.

Daisy was a short, buxom woman with brunette hair pulled into and braided bun. She had smile marks on her face and was almost always happy. She handed me the last eclair with a bright smile and a cheery, "Enjoy!"

I was walking back to our table when a group of girls surrounded me, none of which I knew. A tall, somewhat gawky blond stepped forward, who I assumed was the self-proclaimed leader. "You!", she said shrilly. "How dare you!" I stared. "...what?", I asked. She got up right in my face, glaring. "You know what! How could you cheat on Lionblaze?!"

Now I was completely lost. "I did what?", I asked. Now the rest of the fangirls, who were starting to look extremely riled up, started to join in. "Don't play dumb, you slut. You fucked Harespring, everyone's talking about it. You might as well admit it. It's not a secret anymore."

"But I didn't sleep with anyone!", I snapped back. "Especially not with Harespring. I wouldn't trust him with a first grader's lunch money, much less something like that." The fangirl mob obviously didn't believe me. After a good ten minutes, I finally managed to tear myself free from the psychotic girls, which were giving me poisonous glares across the room.

Still clinging onto my eclair for dear life, I sank into my seat next to Lionblaze. He gave me a look. "What happened to you?"

I only groaned, banging my head on the table. "Has anyone ever told you", I groused out. "That your fangirls are REALLY annoying?" I nodded in the general direction of the female lynch mob, who had stuck their heads together and were whispering loudly. I rolled my eyes.

I noticed just then that Blossomfall, Hazeltail, and Hollyleaf were exchanging glances. "What?", I asked. The three of them only continued to give me sympathetic looks. Hollyleaf cleared her throat. "I thought it would be best not to tell you", she began. "But there's this..um...rumor circulating around school that you, uh…" Hazeltail finished for her. "Slept with three different guys." Blossomfall began to list them off on her fingers. "Harespring, Breezepelt, and Leaftail."

I raised an eyebrow. "Aren't like all of those guys in Heathertail's group?" Hollyleaf sighed, running a hand through her inky hair. "Yes. That's because she's the one who started the rumor." I scoffed. "I know she's trying to pick a fight with me, but honestly, she has to do better than THAT." Hazeltail raised her head. "I know you really dislike her. Just about everyone does. But you don't know what she's capable of. Yeah, she can ruin your reputation in a heartbeat, but that's not what I'm worried about. She has CONNECTIONS. To people in the Dark Forest. She's been trying since the Halloween Dance to split you and Lionblaze up. The Spring Fling isn't far off and she's getting desperate."

I had no idea what the Spring Fling was. I'd heard some people talking about it, but that was it. I voiced this to the other girls. "What's the Spring Fling?" The rest of the table looked like they had just found out that hedgehogs could fly. Bumblestripe, who had been in a conversation with Honeyfern, raised his hands.

"Hold up", he said. "You don't know what the Spring Fling is?" Hollyleaf piped up, "Sometimes I forget you're new here. Our version of the Spring Fling is a lot different from the traditional one. It's this giant field trip that everyone looks forward to." Lionblaze continued where she left off. "Basically, the Spring Fling is a one week field trip to the Harz mountains in Germany. It's usually around Easter every year. You live in this nice hotel and do a bunch of "outdoorsy" shit all week. And on the final day, there's this huge festival in the mountains. Technically, you don't _have_ to bring a date to the festival, but everyone is expected to anyway, soooo.." He smirked at me. "It's safe to assume that you'll be going with me?"

I sat down, and pretended to think about it very hard. "Hmmmm...I don't know..", I teased. "I did have my eye on this one guy in Shadow…" I took one look at his face (did he honestly think I was being serious..?) and smiled. "Duh, I'm going with you, dumbass!"

 **End Chapter 28**

 **::grabs mirror and starts inspecting teeth:: Hmmm...no cavities from all the sickly sweet fluff. Disappointing. You people have no idea I was waiting to pull that field trip thing. I wasn't sure how I was gonna do it, or where they were gonna go, but...yay! I actually went to the Harz when I was younger. I don't remember much (::starts bashing head:: Remember, useless brain!) But it was beautiful.**

 **Reviews...plz? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	29. The Last Minute

**Hexagon**

Chapter 29: The Last Minute

 **Heya! NOTICE: THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN RESUBMITTED. No new chapter until Sunday. Sorry. I can't write THAT fast (I wish I could though) Sooo this was one of those days where my fingers just won't stop typing. This chapter turned out loooong (at least by my standard, which isn't high because I have the attention span of a goldfish) Thank you for the following people who reviewed:**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Guest**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Azzie Girl**

 **-Guest**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-cocolily**

 **I love you all! Let's get on with chapter, shall we?**

 **Icecloud's POV:**

-the next morning-

My alarm went off at precisely 6:15 am. The sound of my standardized ringtone echoed throughout the small dorm, and Hazeltail, who's my roommate, irritably snapped over the sound of my phone. "StarClan, turn that off! It's too early for this." I happily obliged, set the alarm on snooze, and fell back asleep.

-30 Minutes Later-

My phone went off again. This time, I sleepily fumbled at the phone's surface until the alarm went on snooze. Hazeltail's arm snaked over the edge of her bed, groggily fumbled around the surface of my nightstand, grabbed my phone, and chucked it at a nearby couch, where it slid under a pillow and disappeared. I rubbed my eyes, glaring at the short brunette. "Hey. Watch it", I grumbled. "That thing's my life."

"Get yourself a new life." With that, Hazeltail fell back asleep. I rolled my eyes. She's always this crabby in the morning, especially before her daily dose of caffeine. Despite that, I followed her example and went back to sleep.

-30 MORE Minutes Later-

The alarm went off. Again. I irritably groped at the nightstand surface, looking for the offending device. Until I remembered that Hazeltail was so kind and chucked the thing across the room.

Great.

I buried my head under my pillow, blinking my eyes at the sunlight that was filtering through the curtains, and tried to ignore the obnoxious beeping that seemed to be scraping at the insides of my ears. I sighed, and admitted defeat, rising up out of my comfortable bed to go look for my phone. It was lodged in our standard dorm couch, stuck under a pillow. I yawned, ran a hand through my messy hair, and moved to unlock the device.

And then. I saw the time. 7:18 am. I have twelve minutes to: get dressed, do my hair, shower, eat breakfast, and get to the playing field.

I'M. SO. _FUCKED_.

I immediately started my morning routine. Wash my face: 10 seconds. My hands were quickly soaped up with grapefruit scented facial cleanser, which I scrubbed on my skin until I actually felt my face stinging and tingling. I stripped out of my pajamas in record time, and sent the soft flannel flying onto the otherwise clean carpet.

The shower door was thrown open, the water cranked to a random setting. The mere 2 minutes I was in the shower, I spent dodging alternating jets of boiling hot and ice cold water. I got out beet red from the harsh temperatures and covered in streaks of soap. Not that it mattered, because after that extremely un-enjoyable shower experience, I got to doing my hair.

My hair is made up of thin, soft, pale blond strands that require more attention than I like to admit. Normally, I take the time to brush back my hair in a silky ponytail, making sure not a single strand is sticking up. Not this morning. I hastily grabbed handfuls of the wet tangles, and barely managed to form them into an unruly ponytail. I ran my fingers quickly over the top of my head to somewhat smooth the mess out. Not that it did much, because my hairstyle still looked like a bird's nest.

I barreled back into the dorm, completely ignoring Hazeltail who only now seemed to be properly awake. The brunette yawned wide, rubbing at her eyes. "What..are you doing?", she asked blearily. I ignored her, rummaging through my dresser. I struggled into a bra, dug my soccer jersey out of the drawer (today we were wearing black), and began forcing my soccer socks onto my feet. My fingers dug into the sides of the material, tugging it up onto my legs. I felt the dri-fit cloth squeak in protest, but a minute and ten sore fingers later, the socks were firmly in place.

I quickly stuffed my shin guards down my socks, pulled on my cleats, threw my soccer backpack over my shoulder, and sprinted out the door. I glanced at my phone. I had five more minutes to grab some food and get to the game. I hurried into the Dining Hall, which was packed full of students. Many chattered excitedly about the game. I shoved my way through the mass, quickly grabbed a cinnamon roll flavored Pop-Tart, and was out the door again.

I rushed into the gym with half a minute to go. The rest of the team was already assembled around Ashfur, and as I quickly hurried to join them, it became clear to me how much I had missed. The goals had been carried to their places, the bleachers rolled out, the volleyball and tennis nets taken down. I tried to sneak into the little circle, but Ashfur noticed me immediately. "Ah, Icecloud", he teased. "Nice of you to join us."

I snapped into a mock salute, my hand to my forehead, with a loud utterance of, "YES SIR!" Ivypool had to shove a fist into her mouth to keep from howling in laughter. Ashfur just smirked, and turned back to the circle. "Alright. Moving on. Berrynose, you're attacking the attacking center mid." The dark haired coach fixed his stare on the three players standing to my left. "Lionblaze, Cinderheart, and Ivypool are the three forwards. Lionblaze is in the center. Ivypool, Cinderheart, work out what sides you want. I don't really care either way." He turned away from them to make eye contact with me. "Icecloud, since you were late, you're on the bench to start. While the others play, you can catch up on the warmup you missed."

I groaned audibly. He rapped me over the head like he usually did, along with his signature phrase of, "Maybe this will teach you some responsibility." I huffed teasingly. "Screw responsibility." I heard Ivypool choke on a laugh next to me. "Hazeltail's the one that kept muting my alarm."

Berrynose gave me a playful punch in the shoulder. "Blaming my sister, now are we?" I threw my hands up in defeat, sitting cross legged on the bench as the others jogged onto the field. Rushing Water was already on the field, dressed in pale blue as opposed to our black. I couldn't help noticing that they looked a hell of a lot more friendly than BloodClan did. Lionblaze and Ivypool took the kickoff, a brief pass between them and it was played back to Tawnypelt, who was right midfield. The Shadow girl took a quick touch past a Rushing Water player who had been coming at her. She passed it Berrynose, who tried to hit the ball across to Ivypool, who had settled for left forward.

Key word: tried. His pass fell short, and Ivypool had to rush forward to get the ball before a Rushing Water player. The pale blond got control over the ball, did a neat little turn with the outside of her foot, and started going to goal. A large, dark haired, Rushing defender got up beside her, and started trying to knock her off the ball. I grinned. He could try doing that all day, Ivypool didn't let anyone push her around, especially not some opposing player. He would have to do a heck of a lot better to wrestle the ball off of Ivypool.

The tall raven seemed to realize that too. And so, he decided it would be a good idea to elbow ( _yes, ELBOW)_ Ivypool off the ball. The blond lost her balance, and kneeled on the ground for few seconds to regain it. She had a hand pressed to her ribs. What made me even more annoyed than the actions of the Rushing Water prick was that the ref saw what happened. And DIDN'T CALL IT even though it was a foul.

Even though I was slightly miffed, I blew it off. The ref probably just made a mistake.

…

Nope. Not just a mistake. Almost forty-five minutes later, it was halftime. And in the time we had been playing, this ref had been calling THE BIGGEST BULLSHIT I had ever had the misery of coming across. It got to the point where players on the other team (keep in mind the calls were in _their_ favor) were actually going up to the scumbag and asking him if he wasn't making a mistake.

The score was 1:0. We were losing, and all because this asshole couldn't recognize an offside if it punched him in the face. Even the ARs were looking confused. Our team was understandably pissed off. Lionblaze was grinding his teeth so loudly I could hear it from ten yards away. Ivypool looked positively homicidal, nursing a large bruise on her ribs. My shins were turf burned. All the spectators that were crowded into the roll-out bleachers were surrounded by an evil aura that would have scared off a sabertooth tiger. But all of this? Was nothing compared to Ashfur. He would have looked less terrifying had he sprouted demon horns.

"Alright." His voice was clipped. "Sit." He forcibly dropped his cones on the ground. "This team plays by having the defense or the goalie hit really hard. Their forwards then win those high balls and get to goal. That's how they scored on us. What we need to do," He looked up, fixing our defenders with stern looks. "Is win those balls out of the air before they do. And that's where we're messing up. We're backing off."

The ref called the players back onto the field. I took a deep breath, positioning myself. Rushing Water took their kickoff. And while I wanted nothing more than to "accidentally" hit this asshole in the crotch, he did one thing in our favor: he pissed our team off so much that improvements from Ashfur's advice were almost immediate. Rushing Water didn't know what hit them. Bumblestripe hit a high ball over in my direction, with I took it out of the air (with difficulty, I'll admit, because high balls are NOT my thing). Two Rushing players got on either side of me. I got my head up, caught a glimpse of silver hair ahead of me, and kicked it in the silverette's direction.

Cinderheart got control of the ball, turned, and took it up the side to the right corner. And then, neatly passed the ball into the center of the field, right into Ivypool's feet. The homicidal looking blond knew exactly what she was doing. She took a neat little touch to the left of a defender. I saw her starting to wind up, her leg raising behind her, and took the moment to silently pray to StarClan. There was a sound like cannon fire (okaaay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit here), and the ball was drilled into the upper right corner. The spectators were so quiet, the soft _swish_ of the net was audible to everyone.

And then the bleachers exploded. I sprinted at Ivypool, and wrapped her in the tightest hug I could manage. The rest of the team wrapped themselves around us, and before I knew it, I was surrounded by a mass of stinky, sweaty bodies. "Hey guys", I tried. "We haven't won the game yet, just so you know."

The giant team-hug-thing broke apart. All of us were shooting smug looks at the very irritated looking ref. The two teams remained pretty much even for the the next thirty minutes. It wasn't until there were less than five minutes left in the game that it happened.

Literally.

The Most.

Blatantly Obvious.

Foul.

Ever.

The same guy who elbowed Ivypool in the beginning of the game now SHOVED Lionblaze from behind. With two hands and everything. The ball wasn't even anywhere near the strawberry blond, and there was literally no way anyone could justify that foul. And yet, the ref completely ignored it. The now _extremely_ pissed team captain picked himself off the ground and strode over to the ref, clearly intending to the give the bastard a piece of his mind. Except someone beat him to it. That someone happened to be the other team's coach. Rushing Water's coach was a short, buxom woman named Brook. Brook called the tall, dark haired player off and spoke to him sharply, and then called the ref over.

"Excuse me, but wasn't that a foul?" Being put on the spot, the man grudgingly gave us a free kick. As Brook spoke sternly to the ref, our team was quietly squabbling over who would have to take the free kick. "Icecloud!" It was Toadstep. He was jogging over, looking semi-apologetic. "Ashfur wants you to take it." I recoiled. "He wants me to do WHAT?", I wailed. Ivypool shoved me toward the ball, which was sitting innocently in its spot. "C'mon Icecloud", she muttered. "You got this." I nodded uneasily.

I put myself in position behind the ball, fixing my gaze on the goal. It looked to be somewhere between fifteen to twenty yards. That more than close enough to land a goal. Right?

I felt myself actually shaking. I backed up. Ran forward. Hit the ball. The thing sailed through the air. It was on frame. It was going in. It was going to go in the goal, past the goalie's fin-

It hit the post.

"Get the rebound!" Someone yelled. I think it might have been Lionblaze, maybe Berrynose. Doesn't matter. I charged at it all the same. The ball flew back with force, the resounding _clang_ from when it hit the post still echoing through the room. It bounced off of my chest, flew in the goal's direction. I cursed myself for not taking a better touch. The goalie grabbed my ankle in his desperate dive for the ball. I fell backwards, the goalie still holding on to my leg. He looked at me apologetically. The ball rolled in.

 **End Chapter 29**

 **I thought I did a somewhat decent job narrating this chapter. It's actually hard to narrate these games so that people can actually follow whats going on. I tried.  
**

 **Okay. There were two words/terms/whatever I thought I should at least try and somewhat define.**

 **AR- stands for assistant referee. They're the refs that stand on the sidelines.**

 **Turf burn- an injury that you can get if you play on artificial turf and happens if you skid or fall on it (or anything along those lines) A layer of your skin basically gets torn off. Let me just say that these hurt like hell.**

 **And on that pleasant note...reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	30. Preparations

**Hexagon**

Chapter 30: Preparations

 **::waltzes on screen::**

 **Why hello, fair subjects! I welcome thee to my kingdo-**

 **::Azra's muse appears, and kicks Azra off screen::**

 **Azra's muse: Ignore her. She's high on chocolate. Too much of a good thing will do that to a person. Moving on. Thank you to the following lovely people for reviewing:**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-Azzie Girl**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Guest**

 **-Shiisu**

 **-Paper Airplane (x2) You're right, it should probably been a red. I'll go back and fix it. Oh, and for anyone who's interested, that foul that happened to Lionblaze? Happened to me a few years back. That idiot ref we had gave the OTHER team a free kick. Enough of my saltiness. On with the fic!**

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

I was biting my lip, holding my breath without even realizing it. Icecloud had backed up, facing the goal, the ball sitting innocently in front of her. She had her toe pressed into the ground, and was slowly stretching her ankles. I'm almost positive I saw her trembling. The ref stood ill temperedly beside the blond, chewing on the silver whistle in his mouth so loudly, I could actually hear the sound of teeth grinding into metal. I glared at the guy.

Brook was standing next to the Rushing Water reserve players, her arms crossed, eyes narrow. I actually knew the woman personally, from when I looked at Rushing Water Academy as a potential school to attend. My respect for her had only grown. The ref blasted his whistle much louder than what was necessary. Icecloud backed up a little more. She ran forward, the force from her kick going right through the ball. It was a beautiful shot. Low and hard, hit close to the ground with enough power behind it to rival a cannonball.

And then it hit the post. There was a loud, resonating _clang_ and the ball rebounded off of the post and into the box. As Icecloud sprang into action, so did the goalie. The ball hit Icecloud's thighs and bounced right off of her. I cringed. The blond was generally a very skilled player, but that first touch was atrocious. Icecloud seemed to realize it too, because her foot came up to try and get control of it. Her laces only grazed the ball, because in that moment, the goalie dove forward for the ball, missed, and grabbed the blond's ankles instead.

Icecloud toppled backwards, the goalie still holding on to her legs. I saw the boy's mouth moving, probably apologizing for knocking the blond over. The ball rolled into the net. The second the ball rolled over goal line, the crowded bleachers fell silent, before exploding in noise. I rushed forward, wrapping Icecloud in the tightest hug I could manage. Before I knew it, the rest of the team was piling on top of us, laughing and smiling. Ashfur looked ecstatic. I turned, and saw Brook, her arms crossed, smiling at...us?

The ref checked his pocket watch, and let out a three consecutive blasts on his whistle, signalling the end of the game. With that, he shoved the watch into his breast pocket and strode off the field, gnashing his teeth. Icecloud looked like she could touch the moon, and as a form of celebration for her goal, she snuck up behind me and emptied out her water bottle on my head.

Although the Rushing Water players looked disappointed they had lost, they walked over to us now to exchange handshakes. In all honesty, I always found the handshake thing kind of pointless, aside from the whole "good sportsmanship" thing.

When I shook hands with Brook, she took me over to the side of the field. "You joined Hexagon, huh?" I nodded, smiling. She gave an overly dramatized sigh. "We could really have used your help on the Rushing Water team. But it looks like you've found your place here." She nodded in the direction of Lionblaze, Berrynose, and Bumblestripe, who were fooling around near the bleachers. Lionblaze waved in my direction. "C'mon Cinderheart! You coming or not?" Hazeltail, who was standing next to him, fingers intertwined with Foxleap's, joined in, "Yeah slowpoke, hurry up! All the food will be gone!"

Brook grinned, tossing her dark brown ponytail over her shoulder. "Well. You best not keep your friends waiting." I smiled at Brook, grabbed my water bottle, and jogged over to the group. Hollyleaf was hopping down the last bleacher steps and said, "We should get to lunch. All of the cake will be gone if we don't get a move on." I groaned, pulling my ice water soaked shirt away from my body. "I wanted to shower first. I'm so wet."

"That's what she said~!", Foxleap trilled. I stared, before realizing what Foxleap was insinuating. "FOXLEAP YOU ARE SO GROSS!", I shrieked. I whipped my water bottle out, waving it threateningly in the redhead's direction. Icecloud had keeled over laughing, while Lionblaze was shooting the carrot headed prankster the evil eye. Hollyleaf immediately caught the jealous look her brother was sporting and starting making kissy faces in our direction.

The Dining Hall was still relatively empty when we arrived, and we took the opportunity to snag one of the huge tables by the windows. I had taken the first opportunity to change into a dry shirt (a maroon v-neck). It took less than five minutes for the majority of the group to cram itself into the spots around the big table. Foxleap, Berrynose, Bumblestripe, Toadstep, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Icecloud, Honeyfern, Blossomfall, Hollyleaf, and I barely fit around the table. Normally we have to resort to stealing chairs from the other tables (we've actually gotten in trouble for it a few times). It was nice to actually have enough seats for a change.

…

 **Hazeltail's POV:**

I plunged my fork into my spaghetti, twirling the eating utensil to get the maximum amount of pasta at once. I placed the fork into my mouth, humming around the metal. Daisy wasn't just a master with desserts, she could work her magic on pasta dishes too. At that moment, Blossomfall leaned forward excitedly. "Are you guys excited? I am!" I raised an eyebrow. "Wha…?", I mumbled around my fork. Blossomfall made a face like she was being run over by a train. "You mean you don't _know?_ ", she asked. I shook my head. "Um, Hazeltail? Where've ya been?! We leave for the Spring Fling in a few days!"

I spat out the fork in my mouth. "Wait, seriously?", I asked. Hollyleaf nodded. "Today is Friday, and we leave early Monday morning. Which means we leave in.." She paused to think. "...about two and a half days." The raven haired girl clapped her hands in excitement. "I'm going to start packing right after lunch! Which reminds me". She leaned forward. "We need to discuss what we're going to wear! I had this rugged-chic thing in mind. Like, combat boots, cargo pants, and faux-fur lined bomber jackets."

I grinned, and threw my arm around an unsuspecting Cinderheart, who nearly choked on a mouthful of pasta. "Maybe we could do a more traditional vibe." I snapped my fingers. "I know!", I exclaimed. "We could wear those cute German dresses! What are they called again…?"

"Dirndls", Hollyleaf remarked, without looking up from her book. "They're called dirndls." As excited as I was about wearing a traditional German dress, Icecloud killed that idea real quick. "I don't really care what we wear as long as it's comfortable", the blond said. "But I refuse to dress up like a tourist." I sighed. Even though I would really have liked to wear a dirndl, she did have a point.

Just then, I realized that the boys were staring at us with complete confusion. "I..", Lionblaze said. "..have absolutely no idea what any of you just said."

…

"Long-sleeved shirts?"

"Check!"

"Jackets?"

"Check?"

"Triple support bras for Hazeltail?"

I glared. "Hey!", I snapped. "Honeyfern, I can pack my own underclothes!" The athletic blond just laughed, tossing me the mound of material. "Check!"

It continued on like that, with us teasing each other more than actually getting packing done. It didn't really matter though, since we still had a few days. I cast a critical eye over the open suitcase. The bottom half was filled with neatly folded clothes and a few pairs of shoes. The top half was occupied by toiletries and my festival dress. I made sure not to pack anything I'd need in the next few days, for example, my phone and my laptop.

I placed a few more things into the suitcase before I was finally satisfied with the day's work. When I finally left Hollyleaf's room, wheeling my suitcase behind me, I felt the excitement hit me full force. I hadn't been able to go to the Spring Fling because I got sick, meaning that this would be my first time back on Earth in two whole years. I grinned. Let the Spring Fling come! I was ready!

 **End Chapter 30**

 **Guess who updated a day early!? ME!**

 **This was a boring chapter, even for me. But not to worry. Next chapter will have the departure to the Harz! Another thing. If anyone has any ideas for what Heathertail should do to mess up the trip, tell me in the reviews. Because currently, I have..heh..no idea..**

 **So please review!**

 **Azra out!**


	31. Departure

**Hexagon**

Chapter 31: Departure

 **Alright. So this is the part where I rack my brain to remember what happened when I went to the Harz. So far, I've come up with two things: the time I almost died choking on a fishbone, and when my brother almost fell into a waterfall (he, of course, vehemently denies that this ever happened whenever I bring it up) We were…very um...accident prone children. Anyway, thank you to the following people for their lovely reviews:**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-ThoughfulWizardOfTime**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Guest**

 ***confetti***

 **And special thanks to Jayfeather's friend for being my 200th reviewer!**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Honeyfern's POV:**

"Ninety-two bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-two bottles of beeeeer~"

"Foxleap", I tried. "Could you ple-"

"TAKE ONE DOWN, PASS IT AROUND, NINETY-ONE BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL!"

"Foxleap!", Lionblaze bellowed. "SHUT UP!"

The redhead ceased his obnoxious singing just long to let out a whiny, "I'm booored!" Icecloud was massaging her temples as she answered. "Foxleap. The train hasn't even left the station yet. We're just waiting for the rest of the passengers to finish boarding."

And so the singing resumed. Hazeltail was the only one who didn't seem to mind in the slightest, with her white and blue headphones plugged in, blasting some overly sexual hip-hop number at full volume. The short brunette was leaning against the window, looking out into the busy Frankfurt Central Station. This station is one of the most beautiful train stations I've ever seen (which admittedly isn't saying much, because I live in a floating school and haven't been to Earth in what feels like forever)

The station has a huge, arching roof that spans high overhead, light pouring in through the many windows. On top of that, there are more giant windows out in the front. From outside, the station has a much more old fashioned architecture, complete with towers and a pair of statues. From the inside, the sides are lined with shops.

I peered out of the windows covering the roof, and saw the last remains of the Teleportix beam fading into nothingness. The school I call my home was nothing more than a speck in the sky. Every so often, a cloud would pass over it, and I would lose sight of Hexagon Academy entirely.

I looked around the train compartment, smiling contentedly. Foxleap was still singing. Hollyleaf had a pair of ear plugs in, and was busying herself with a large book on German folklore. Lionblaze and Berrynose were playing soccer with a marble. Now all we had to do was wait.

…

 **Hazeltail's POV:**

I was so excited, I didn't even hear Lexica's voice over the thoughts in my own head. And that's saying something, because she was turned up pretty damn loud. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice Icecloud until she was standing right in front of me. She sat down in the empty spot next to me, and prodded me in the shoulder.

"Yo, where did you put our luggage? I need my earbuds." I gestured up to the overhead baggage compartment, still listening to my music. "Thanks." I nodded, watching as the blond stood on the train seat, and started rummaging around in the overhead compartment, looking for her bag.

I expected her to grab her headphones, plug them into her phone, and then start drowning out Foxleap's ongoing singing. What I didn't expect was to see her lean down, looking panicked. "Hazeltail, I can't find my bag." I pulled my headphones down, letting rest on my shoulders. "What?", I asked in confusion. "They should be there." I stood on the train seat next to the blond, and started going through the compartment.

...she was right. Her bag was nowhere to be found. And now that I looked more closely, neither was Honeyfern's, Cinderheart's, Hollyleaf's, or even mine.

 _Flashback:_

" _Alright everyone!", Firestar yelled. "Please make your way to launchpad." The launchpad was a huge, circular tech set which would serve as the base for the Teleportix. I held my hands over my ears as a familiar humming began to resonate through the room, and saw as many other students did the same. I saw as the azure blue beam started descending down through the clouds._

 _As soon as the connection between the Hexagon launchpad and the one on Earth was deemed secure, the teachers began telling us to step into Teleportix. Firestar was yelling again. "Please stay in your student groups and have your designated luggage carrier go first!" I was the luggage carrier for the group we had formed. The group was made up of me, Honeyfern, Cinderheart, Hollyleaf, and Icecloud. The guys were their own group, but only because there's a five person limit on the size a group can be (the boys, however, snuck an extra person into their group)  
_

 _I pushed forward the trolley with all our luggage, waiting for my turn to step into the Teleportix. I watched as my peers stepped in, and slowly seemed to dissolve into nothingness. They're not actually dissolving, just being speed-transported to the other end of the Teleportix, but the sight always freaks me out anyway. Just in that moment, Rosepetal waved to me. "Hazeltail!", she said happily. I pushed the trolley up against the wall and walked over to her. We had only been chatting a few minutes before Blackstar came up behind us._

" _Get a move on", he rumbled. And without a second thought, we jumped into the Teleportix._

 _Flashback End_

My hands came up to my mouth as an image of the luggage trolly, pushed up against the wall, popped into my mind.

Oh. Shit.

I forgot the luggage.

Oh my StarClan. What am I supposed to tell the other girls?!

Icecloud was looking at me in confusion. "...what happened?", she asked. "Did you forget where you put it or something?" I shook my head, my hands pressed to my lips. By now, everyone was looking at me, even the boys. Lionblaze's marble rolled to the ground, forgotten. Then, in my smallest, most timid voice, I whispered,

"...I..forgot it.."

In that moment, the train started gliding forward, the engines humming underfoot. It was almost as if StarClan was trying to remind me that there was no going back. The train compartment was silent.

"Pfffft.." I spun around. Foxleap was snickering as quietly as possible, giggling into his palm. I stared at him incredulously. "What's so funny?", I snapped. Realizing he had been caught, the redhead's quiet snickering turned into full blown laughter. I stared.

"It's..it's just", he choked out between laughs. "How could you forget something as crucial as that?" "Like you've never forgotten anything!", I snapped back. He grinned. "At least we have our clothes!", he retorted, a teasing smile directed at me. At this point, the rest of the girls decided to join in. "What would you know, you wear the same clothes every day!", Cinderheart pointed out.

There was silence, in which Foxleap looked down at his stained polo shirt. "Yeah", I teased. "When was the last time you changed clothes?" Foxleap put a finger to his lips, a thoughtful expression coming over his face. "...I can't remember", he responded, and promptly got smacked over the head by Icecloud. The blond set down the wadded up sweatshirt she had been using as a hammer and looked at him incredulously.

"What do you mean, you can't remember?", she asked in horror. Foxleap shrugged.

"...ew."

"...yeah."

Berrynose picked up the marble, and resumed his game with Lionblaze. "Well, it's not THAT bad", he remarked as he flicked the marble through Lionblaze's goal. The strawberry blond swore violently. "We'll just go shopping when we get there." The second the word "shopping" was spoken, Bumblestripe lunged forward and pressed his hand over Berrynose's mouth.

"Are you CRAZY?!", he hissed. "Did you really just offer to go shopping with THEM?"

"Them" was referring to my fellow females which by now were sporting large, cheshire cat grins. Hollyleaf cracked her knuckles menacingly. "That, Berrynose", she said, her voice evilly sweet, "is an _excellent_ idea." Fallen Leaves, who had been sitting in silence the entire time, tried to sneak out of the compartment. No such luck.

…

 **Foxleap's POV:**

"Where are you going, _babe_?" Fallen Leaves turned to face the ravenette, who was brandishing her credit card like a weapon. I gulped. They meant BUSINESS. If you've never seen my sister on a shopping spree, consider yourself lucky. It could very well be classified as natural disaster.

And that's not even the worst of it.

Going shopping with the Hexagon girls is like entering a black hole. It's impossible to escape. Therefore, I took this opportunity to slip out of the compartment door, leaving poor Fallen Leaves behind. I was planning to wait out the storm and then come back when it was no longer a hazard to my health to be around the shopping crazed girls. I had just taken off down the hallway when I saw it.

Heathertail was bending over the compartment door, fiddling with something at the handle. What the hell….?

 **End Chapter 31**

 **What is Heathertail up to? I'll leave that up to you to decide ;)**

 **Reviews please? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	32. Foxleap to the Rescue!

**Hexagon**

Chapter 32: Foxleap to the Rescue!

 **::Azra's muse walks on screen::**

 **You know what I just realized? Azra has never done a disclaimer. ::clears throat::**

 **Azrakatz does not own Warriors. If she did, FallenHolly and JayBriar would have happened a looooong time ago. Apply this to every previous chapter and any chapter after this, because she will definitely be too lazy to write this again.**

 **Thank you to all the fabulous people who reviewed:**

 **-Generic Cat 5001**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-Guest**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Clementine**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Half Moon's POV:**

The train bathroom was surprisingly not as nasty as I was expecting it to be. Rubbing my hands dry on my shirt, I started walking back to our train compartment. This trip was already starting to go south. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, because it's always a lot of fun, but StarClan was not ruling in my favor this year. Because guess who's group I'm stuck in?

Dovewing's.

Fuck. Me.

There isn't even anyone else in the group. It's just me, her, and the mountain of Louis Vuitton suitcases that took up almost the entire compartment. Her one week supply of clothes could probably last me several months.

I yawned, reaching my hands up behind my head, about to slide the compartment door open when I heard voices. I froze. Did she have one of her friends from the other groups over? Now that I was listening more closely, I realized I had been way off. She was having a phone call.

"..I know I was sloppy last time!" She sounded very annoyed. "But cut me some slack, he burst in on me as I was working! How was I supposed to know that he would show up in that moment?" I pressed my ear closer to the compartment door, confused. "Yes sir, I'll get it done. Unlike my sister, you can rely on me." I heard Dovewing give a polite goodbye and hang up.

Who was she talking to that demanded to be addressed with _sir_? None of the teachers were that full of themselves. And why was she bringing up Ivypool of all people? They cut ties months ago. Dovewing pretended she didn't have a twin since the whole fiasco with the Dark Forest.

Putting on my most innocent face, I stepped inside the compartment and settled into one of the seats. I didn't look the pale blond haired girl in the eye. The whole thing felt off to me. There was something fishy going on, and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

…

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

Hollyleaf's glare alone made Fallen Leaves fearfully sit back down. As the ravenette started teasingly wave her credit cards in his direction, I heard a quiet _click_ sound from the door. I was immediately on edge.

"Did you guys hear that?", I asked. Lionblaze looked at me in confusion. "Hear what?", he replied. I shrugged, sinking back into my seat. I waved it off. "I probably imagined it", I said. "I just thought I heard some kind of click just now.." The strawberry blond leaned back, legs crossed, arms behind his head. He yawned. "Yeah, probably. I'm just gonna take a nap." Another yawn. "G'night."

I rolled my eyes at his antics. Berrynose, in the meantime had fished a pack of Uno cards out of his duffel bag and waved them in our direction. "Prepare to be humiliated, loser!", he yelled at Lionblaze, who jolted awake at the challenge. "Oh yeah?", he shouted back. "As if I'm going to be beat by a pansy-ass like you!"

The pack of multicolored paper was torn open, and cards were harshly passed out to the other inhabitants of train compartment. I blinked as Berrynose positively slapped seven cards into my hand. "Alright", he declared. "Prepare to lose!" Bumblestripe leaned over to me, hand cupped over his mouth. "He's only acting this weird because the souvenir shop at the train station didn't sell Cards Against Humanity. The dude at the counter said something like.."

He proceeded to use the most god awful German accent I have ever heard in my life. I saw the passing conductor actually _cringe._ That's how bad it was. Ultimate Mega Death Uno started like a completely normal game of Uno. Until this started happening: Bumblestripe was dropping +4 after +4 on poor Fallen Leaves, who looked like he didn't understand anything anymore.

In less than ten minutes, the auburn haired junior was holding some twenty plus cards in his hand. Bumblestripe, on the other hand, had only a few cards left. Suddenly feeling suspicious, I leaned over to peek at his cards. Only to be met by a faceful of +4 cards. If you don't know what those are, they're basically the strongest cards in the game. You're lucky if you get any at all.

An evil grin settling on my face, I leaned over and prodded Hollyleaf, who turned to look at me. I mouthed "he's cheating" over to her. She nodded, smirking. The ravenette whipped out a Sharpie, pulled the next four cards out of the pile, and scribbled several words on them. She slid over a +4 card to me.

I then proceeded to use said +4 card on Bumblestripe, who groaned. He pulled the next four cards. I watched his eyes widen comically, as he laid out the cards in front of him. Together, they read: _Stop cheating, you asswipe._

Hollyleaf and I were grinning at him when he looked up in search of the culprit. Bumblestripe gave a sigh of defeat, threw his cards down, and said, "Fine, I was cheating. No regrets." The game continued on, but was brought to an early end when this happened: "Hey dumbshit, you're supposed to say Uno BEFORE you lay your last card down!"

"What the fuck you mean?! I did!"

"No you didn't, you cheater!"

"Shut up, I won fair and square!"

"Prove it!"

"How about you fight me!?"

Both boys stood up, bristling and shooting each other death glares. Hazeltail laughed nervously. "Berrynose, Lionblaze, can you please sit down? I don't want to pay for a destroyed compartment…"

A loud scoff from each of them, and they sat down with their arms crossed. Both of them were childishly facing opposite directions. Icecloud was rubbing at her temples. "How the hell do Cinderheart and Honeyfern deal with these two morons?", she muttered. "Almost getting into a brawl over Uno...honestly." Honeyfern and I exchanged glances, and we started giggling into our palms.

It was in this moment that the announcement rang out loudly through the train. The first announcement was in German, and left the whole compartment blinking at each other in confusion. Then, however, the announcer woman repeated herself in English, and then in French for good measure. " _Attention passengers. We will be arriving at the final stop shortly. Please make sure not to leave any luggage behind. Thank you."_

The boys began going through their overhead, pulling out their luggage, when Jayfeather noticed a very important piece of information.

"Foxleap's stuff is gone."

I have no idea how he could tell that the ginger's things were no longer in the overhead, but it had the same reaction all the same. "What?", Icecloud asked, and suddenly looked around the room. "Forget luggage, Foxleap is gone!" I groaned, realizing what had happened. "Hollyleaf. He must have run away when the whole shopping debacle happened. I was wondering why it was so weirdly quiet."

Icecloud rolled her eyes good naturedly, the obvious concern in her eyes slowly clearing. She might act tough toward her brother, but she cared about him deeply. It was easy to tell. Around us, I heard compartment doors being flung open as the other Hexagon students started pouring into the corridor. I sat back down. I would rather climb off the train dead last than be crammed into a small hallway with dozens of sweaty teenagers.

The second announcement rang out through the train. " _Attention passengers. Please make your way to the exits. Thank you."_ I zipped up my jacket, looked around the compartment to make sure we didn't forget anything, and pressed on the doorknob. Nothing happened. I pressed again, shaking a little bit. The door rattled, and there was the low click of a lock that didn't want to open.

In that moment, realization hit me like a bus. The door was locked. I remembered that moment, just a few hours ago, when I had heard that weird clicking noise. I spun around to face the others, my eyes wide. "Someone locked us in."

Hollyleaf rushed forward, seized the doorknob, and started shaking it violently. "What do you mean, someone locked us in!?", she cried in panic. "Who would do that!?" My mind fell onto a tall, busty blond in designer clothes. "I actually have a pretty good idea of who", I snarled. "Heathertail." The reactions around the compartment were varied expressions of anger and outrage. The poor compartment door was shaken, rattled, kicked, punched, and even elbowed, but it wouldn't budge.

" _All passengers, please leave train. Departure back to Frankfurt is in two minutes."_ Panic broke out. The windows were made of reinforced glass and were unable to open, and the door wouldn't move. It was Icecloud who had the lifesaving idea. "Foxleap!", she exclaimed.

…

 **Foxleap's POV:**

I was already on the platform with the rest of the school when my phone went off. It was Icecloud. Mentally preparing myself to get chewed out, I picked up. It was definitely NOT a lecture. Instead it was a plea for help. "Foxleap!", she gasped. "Thank the Stars you picked up!" "Where are you guys?", I asked. "We're still in the train." I stared. "What?! Why?! Everyone's about to leave!"

Icecloud explained the situation. "We're locked in and the train's about to leave. _Please_ Foxleap, for the love of StarClan, come help us." Did she honestly think I would leave her, my sister, and all of my best friends stuck inside the train? I threw a glance back, where the rest of the students were boarding the bus to the hotel, and turned back to the train.

"Hold on, sis. I'm coming."

 **End Chapter 32**

 **Don't you just LOVE the cliffhanger? I know I do. Also, what do you guys think Dovewing's phone call was about? I'd love to hear your guesses!  
**

 **Please review! I appreciate every single one :3**

 **Azra out!**


	33. Facing Firestar's Wrath

**Hexagon**

Chapter 33: Facing Firestar's Rage

 **Guess who updated a day early? ME AGAIN! HAH! (Sorry. This whole concept of "time management" is depressingly new to me)**

 **I'm not feeling creative today, so I'll skip the intro. Still don't own Warriors (wow look at that, I actually put a disclaimer) Thank you to the following lovely people for reviewing:**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Guest**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Guest**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Foxleap's POV:**

I turned tail and ran, ignoring Firestar's yell of, "Everybody aboard the buses? Are we missing anyone?" I took the moment to silently pray that no one had noticed my absence, and sprinted at the train's automatic doors. We had been aboard a sleek bodied high speed train, which while on board, had been cool, but now it was an obstacle. I had to get to the other's compartment, unlock the faulty door, and get back off before the train left the station on its way back to Frankfurt. The last thing I wanted to do was try to hop off a train that went up to 300 kilometers an hour. I'm daring, not suicidal.

The doors slid open. I didn't waste a second, tearing through the hallways like a madman. I shoved through the passengers that hadn't found seats yet, many of which gave me dirty looks. I proceeded to almost trample an on-board service employee, a young woman in a pristine uniform. Unfortunately for me, she recognized the tag on my front at once. "Deine Schule ist schon abgestiegen. Was machst du noch auf den Zug, wir fahren gleich ab!" (Your school already got off. What are you still doing on the train, we're about to leave!)

I ducked past her, having no idea what she had just said. I hurried through a door, and stepped into a relatively empty train car. It was one of the cars that had been reserved for Hexagon on the trip here, the once empty compartments filling up. Despite this, no one paid any mind to the locked compartment at the end of the row. I knew it was the correct one immediately, recognizing the number hanging by the door. _Compartment 71._

It really wasn't a very creative way of locking a door, but it was subtle and effective to boot. Getting to work quickly, I began undoing Heathertail's handiwork (I KNEW she was up to something when I saw her fiddling with the door) This was one of the advantages of being Hexagon's resident prankster: knowing how to open just about anything. The lock let out a low _click,_ and the second it did, the door flew open, my friends piling out.

There was no time for greetings or anything of the sort. We turned and ran, the pounding of feet causing several passengers to come out of their compartments in alarm. The hallways were deserted now anyway, something I was deeply thankful for.

We reached the doors just in time. The second they opened, we poured out onto the platform, collapsing into exhausted heaps on the the tile. I heard the low _hisss_ of the locks sealing, the hum of electricity as the train began to pull away and felt dizzy with relief. I raised my head, seeing the sleek red and white train gliding forward, picking up speed as it left the station. Before long, it was gone, the final car disappearing behind a sharp bend in the track.

I pulled myself to my feet, my legs still shaking slightly. I looked around, and saw that the rest of the group was standing up. Thankfully, the guys managed to get their luggage out of the train on time, having been ready to go when I opened the door. My gaze circled the station. The other travelers were walking around where we were collapsed on the floor, not paying us any mind, with the exception of several guards who were eyeing us in concern.

As I was doing this, it dawned on me that although we had managed to get off the train on time, we now had an entirely new problem on our hands. We didn't have a ride. Fucking great.

…

 **Heathertail's POV:**

I leaned back on my seat in the bus, feeling satisfied with myself. Right in this moment, Lionblaze, Cinderbitch, and the rest of them were probably on their way back to Frankfurt. I wasn't too concerned about them. Even if they weren't discovered back in Frankfurt, the train personnel checked the trains thoroughly each evening anyway. Worst case scenario, they'd be uncomfortable for the few hours remaining until evening until they would be sent back up to Hexagon.

No matter how it turned out for them, the result would be the same: the group would be pulled off the trip. Well, not the entire group. Lionblaze, Hollyleaf (ugh), and Jayfeather would travel back here. Being Firestar's grandchildren was definitely useful at times, especially for getting out of trouble or situations like this one.

Not many people know that they're related actually. I only know because Lionblaze told me when we were still dating (I used to call the trio the _Power of Three._ He found it hilarious) The reason they almost never talk about it is because the three of them are on really bad terms with their parents. I didn't fully understand all of it. Something about his mother cheating on his father, a chaotic divorce, and some huge mess of lies that doesn't even fully make sense.

It didn't matter. In the end, Cinderheart and the rest of them would be stuck at Hexagon, while I got together with Lionblaze at the Spring Fling. The disaster at the Halloween Dance would be forgotten, and we would go back to being Hexagon's cutest couple.

In that moment, Blossomfall asked, "Has anyone seen Honeyfern, by any chance?"

Shiiiiit.

A look of concern crossed Firestar's features, and he immediately began scanning the bus for the athletic blond. I sat in silence as panic broke out, people having realized that an entire group was missing from the bus. The teachers were all on their devices, trying to get into contact with the train station staff. Firestar finally got through to the woman in charge, and was speaking frantically through the phone. "...yes, that's right. We are missing a group of eleven students. Five girls, six boys." He fell silent, listening to the other end. "Yes, I know that's a lot of students!", he snapped. "We have a large group this year, and something went wrong. I'm sending their ID pictures right now." He was quiet again. "If your staff saw anything, please contact me at once. Thank you."

Sandstorm came up behind him. "What did she say?" Firestar sighed. "She's going to have her staff look at the pictures. Someone must have seen them. Once we figure out where they are, I'll have someone go get them." The red haired Thunder head was massaging his temples, his eyes closed.

"I just don't understand. I know them, this isn't something they would do. It's not in their character just to ditch a school trip."

Sandstorm patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. "I'm sure there must be a reasonable explanation. Until then, let's make sure to get the rest of the students to the hotel. Then we can worry about this."

I felt myself relax, my rapid pulse starting to slow. No one suspected that I had anything to do with it. As I leaned back in my chair, my mind started to race. Suspicion would fall on me eventually. I had deflected it before, and I had to make sure to do it again.

…

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

Fallen Leaves was pacing. With the few Euro he had tucked into his backpack, he had bought himself a pack of Haribo at the little souvenir shop. He was chewing on the gummy bears nervously, his gaze darting around. The modest train station found itself in a quaint little town, full of the classic half timbered houses and twisting cobblestone streets.

Even the charming view of all the red tile roofs couldn't seem to get the auburn haired junior to calm down. He just kept on pacing, obsessively chewing on gummy bears. The rest of the group was either entertaining themselves on their phones or trying to get through to the other students without success.

Seeing as this was supposed to be a trip into nature _without_ the use of electronics, phones were strictly instructed to stay off. There had been several people who tried their luck with this rule. Each and every one had gotten their devices confiscated by a very irritable Blackstar.

As Lionblaze tossed pebbles at a nearby tree and Fallen Leaves was stress eating gummy bears, a tall, broad shouldered guard came up to us. "You", he said in his heavily accented English. "Your school is looking for you." I let out a sigh of relief. This meant we were going to be reunited with the rest of the school. "Come with me, please."

Minutes later, all ten of us were crammed into an office at the train station. The head of staff, a curly haired brunette, was on the phone with Firestar. "A certain 'Mr. Firestar' has been informed. You are to wait for him by the front gate", she said cooly.

It didn't take long for Firestar to arrive. He was driving a white van emblazoned with the Hexagon logo, and despite the ample seating inside the car, it was still difficult for all ten of us to fit inside. The second the doors closed, he turned in his seat to look at us. "Now", he said testily. "Mind telling me why you're not at the hotel like the rest of the school?"

I grimaced, having seen this conversation coming from a mile away.

"...we can explain."

 **End Chapter 33**

 **Heathertail is delusional.**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	34. A Web of Lies

**Hexagon**

Chapter 34: A Web of Lies

 ***yawn* No creative juices to spare for an author's note. I feel like I should be concerned. On another note, I'm not too happy with how this chapter turned out. Anyway, enough of my pity party. Thank you to the following people for their lovely reviews:**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Crazycat10987**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Mad Hat Dragon (x2)**

 **-Generic Cat 5001**

 **-Guest**

 **-cocolily**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

Have I mentioned how screwed we are? WE ARE SO SCREWED. Firestar stepped on the pedal, and we peeled away from the sidewalk, driving through the residential area at a leisurely pace. Except the air inside the car was anything but leisurely. Firestar was gripping the wheel so tightly, his knuckles were white. Hollyleaf, who sat in the passenger seat beside him, was sitting ramrod straight, her face tense.

"So", Firestar began, his voice tight. "Would one of you care to explain to me WHY in StarClan's name you didn't board the buses when you were told to?" Hazeltail opened her mouth to say something, but Firestar kept talking. "I can't imagine what would possess all eleven of you to just ditch a school trip." He said all of our names, his voice taking on that disappointed parent tone that children around the world have learned to dread. "Hollyleaf. Cinderheart. Honeyfern. Icecloud. Hazeltail. Lionblaze. Berrynose. Bumblestripe. Jayfeather. Foxleap. Fallen Leaves." **(A/N: I did my math wrong in the previous chapters. Eleven students went missing, not ten. Whoops.)**

Hollyleaf, finally, gathered the courage to interject the seething Thunder head. "Grandp- I mean, Professor", she said quietly. I blinked, having only then remembered that all the heads were addressed with 'Professor' instead of the regular 'Mr.', 'Ms.', or 'Mrs.' Hollyleaf continued, "We didn't miss the buses because we wanted to." Firestar stayed silent, but tilted his head in her direction to indicate that he was listening.

"We missed the buses because someone locked us into our compartment. The only reason we're here at all is because Foxleap ran back into the train to get us out."

Whatever Firestar had been expecting her to say, that wasn't it. He was so surprised, he accidentally swerved into another lane. Someone honked furiously from behind us. He waved out the window apologetically, got the car into the correct lane, then said sharply, "Someone locked you in? Why would anyone do that?"

This time, I was the one who responded. "To get us off the trip. There is someone at Hexagon Academy who doesn't just have it out for me, but the entire group." I glared furiously out the window, forcing myself to say the next words. "That person is Heathertail."

Firestar stayed silent for the moment. "Heathertail?"

I nodded. "Yes." Foxleap opened his mouth in the back, probably to back my claim up, but was silenced by Firestar. "We'll discuss it at the hotel when Heathertail is present to defend herself. This is a very serious accusation to make. She already has two referrals, something like this could land her in the Dark Sector."

We rolled to a stop at a red light, and Firestar turned to face us. "It goes without saying that you'll keep that last bit of information to yourselves." Nods of agreement met his words. The scenery around us had gone from houses to woods faster than I had expected. The car crept up a surprisingly well maintained road, surrounded by trees on each side.

A few minutes later, Firestar was maneuvering the car into a vacant parking spot in front of the hotel. I pushed open the door, stepped out of the car, and felt my jaw drop. The hotel was made up of several buildings, which were arranged to form a courtyard in the center. The picturesque buildings, with their pointed roofs, ivy covered exteriors, and large windows were so much unlike the urban area I grew up in, I couldn't help but stare. A fountain bubbled away cheerily outside the front doors.

Firestar stuffed the car keys into his pocket and led us up the steps, past the fountain, and through the door. A quick conversation with the receptionist later, and he was handing each of us a key card. I would be living in Room 401 with the four other girls in my group. The boys would be in the room across from ours, in Room 404. Firestar shooed us into elevator, accompanied with words of "Go unpack."

Hollyleaf opened her mouth, probably to remind the red haired Thunder head that our luggage was miles above us in the sky, but Firestar just sighed. "We'll take care of it later. There's a shopping mall in the next town over, it should have everything you five need." Firestar's face disappeared as the elevator doors closed. We began to ride upwards, the doors reopening on the fourth floor with a _ping._

Our room was one of the first on the floor, and Hazeltail was quick to plug her key card into the automatic lock. The boys, dragging their luggage behind them, had already disappeared into the room across the hall. The second the door fell shut behind us, I felt my jaw drop for the fourth time that day.

The room was large, the far wall made up of a wide window, the curtains pulled back to show the wooded landscape outside. Beyond the trees, the red tiled rooftops of the nearby town were visible. I rushed over to the window, throwing it open and inviting in the air outside. It was rapidly getting colder, the air starting to get chilly, but I didn't mind it in the moment.

The floor was covered in part wood paneling and part cream colored carpet. There were two bunk beds and one twin sized bed to accommodate all five of us, as well as several dark wood wardrobes to hold our nonexistent luggage. Arranged in front of the window was a small couch, coffee table, and armchair.

Although our actual suitcases stood forgotten in some corridor back at Hexagon, we had thankfully remembered to bring carry-on baggage. Feeling immensely grateful that I had not forgotten my backpack as well, I unzipped it and started digging out my phone, money, a few extra pieces of clothing (I ran out of space in my actual suitcase, thank StarClan) and various toiletries like my toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, and deodorant.

Just as I finished claiming a bed and putting my stuff into the bedside table drawer, there was a knock at the door. Icecloud opened it, toothbrush sticking out of the corner of her mouth, hair pulled up in messy bun. It was Fallen Leaves.

"What?", the blond asked around her mouthful of minty fresh flavored foam. Fallen Leaves gestured down the hallway. "Dinner", he said. "You might want to get down there before Foxleap and Lionblaze completely clear out the buffet. Icecloud spat her mouthful of toothpaste into a nearby trash can in her haste, ignoring Hollyleaf's grimace as she did so.

The blond quickly neatened her hair while growling, "Those two had better not be pigging out down there." Fallen Leaves smiled apologetically. Hazeltail tore down the hallway, saying, "If there's no food left, I'm going kill those two in the most brutal fashion I know!" Honeyfern grinned. "Wow", she said. "Hazeltail REALLY means business when it comes to food, doesn't she?" Hollyleaf laughed. "Have you MET her? That girl stops at nothing for food."

…

Sure enough, when we seated ourselves with the rest of the group, both Lionblaze's and Foxleap's plates were piled high with food of all kinds. Foxleap, for example, was currently preoccupied scraping out the inside of a Nutella container. How he got his hands on one is beyond me, seeing as it was dinner and there wasn't a single other Nutella container to be found in the rest of the Dining Hall.

Despite the boys' best efforts, there was more than enough food when we entered the room, and I helped myself to a large plate of beef stroganoff and a slice of triple chocolate cake. I was just scraping the remaining chocolate off my plate when Firestar approached our table. Strangely enough, he was accompanied by Onestar, the Wind head.

The usually good natured ginger looked uncharacteristically grim as he stood next to our table. "I'm going to need all of you to come with me", he said, quietly but firmly. All of our plates were as good as clean anyway. We left them in a neat stack in the center of the table for the wait staff to take care of, and then followed Firestar into the spacious hallway outside. With the exception of the occasional waitress or housekeeper who passed by, the hallway was empty.

I realized just then that Onestar was no longer with us. We stood in uncomfortable silence, Firestar standing stiffly against the wall. Foxleap made several attempts to break the awkward stillness, with very little success. After several minutes, the Wind head returned, followed by none other than Heathertail and her friends.

Heathertail was stony faced, her arms crossed under her breasts to make them look bigger. Nightcloud and Dawnpelt had gone into combat mode, making no attempt to conceal their aggressive expressions. Sunstrike just looked scared. Her other friends, including Minnowtail from River, Leaftail from Wind, Harespring from Wind, and several others wore similar expressions.

Onestar, who looked miffed, muttered over to Firestar, "She insisted that the rest of her group comes with her. Sorry." Firestar just sighed. "Look, let's just get the point here, shall we?", he asked tiredly. Heathertail nodded, her face remaining unreadable. "Heathertail", the redhead began. "You have been accused to locking the group in front of you now in the train. It was only for Foxleap's quick thinking that they're here at all. Cinderheart, why don't you tell your side of the story?"

I nodded, clearing my throat a little bit. I told what had happened, up to the point when I heard the strange _click._ "It couldn't have been until at least four thirty that the door was locked, because Honeyfern went to the bathroom right before. When she came back, I remember hearing this strange clicking noise from outside the compartment. In the moment, I thought I had imagined it and brushed it off."

Hollyleaf spoke up. She had been quiet up until now. "Keeping the time frame in mind, it would make sense. Honeyfern came back from the bathroom at about four twenty. Foxleap left the compartment right before four thirty. After that, no one else left the compartment, at least until we got off the train."

Firestar raised an eyebrow. "Okay. So we've figured out when it must have happened, but what makes you think that Heathertail is the one who did it? So far, you've presented nothing that indicates her as the perpetrator."

Lionblaze exploded in anger. "What points to her being the perpetrator? She's had it out for Cinderheart since the Halloween Dance! Hell, I'll bet that she was the one who put that glass in Cinderheart's shoes! She's been spreading rumors and trying to pick fights for the past THREE MONTHS. For fucks sake, what doesn't point to her as the perpe-"

…

 **Heathertail's POV:**

As the strawberry blond raged on, I felt my heart break a little bit inside of my chest. Did he really hate me that much? Was I, who had been in a relationship with him for the past two years, being tossed aside for a girl he had only known a few months?

"THAT'S ENOUGH, LIONBLAZE!", Firestar barked. "And watch your language." Foxleap spoke up, his voice more serious than I'd ever heard it.

"I saw her."

I froze.

I had been so sure that no one had seen me. Having a witness made this so, SO much worse.

"What?", Firestar asked. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Foxleap shrugged. "Right after I left the compartment, I saw her bending over the lock, messing with it. I had a feeling something was wrong, but brushed it off." Firestar looked over to me. "Well?", he asked. "Were you in the corridor outside Compartment 71 at four thirty this afternoon?" With someone having seen me, it was impossible to deny it.

I nodded.

As I did so, my mind was racing, rushing to form a plan to get me out of this situation. As luck would have it, a thought occurred to me. "At four thirty this afternoon, I was going for a walk around the train with my friends. You know, to stretch my legs after being cooped up for so long. Then, as I was walking by, I noticed something was wrong with the door, and that someone was running away down the hallway. I tried to get the door to unlock when I saw Foxleap, and I panicked and ran."

Firestar narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't you tell him what happened?" The words flowed out of my mouth, spinning a web of lies as I went along. "I was scared of this. Being accused of being the perpetrator." "Well", Firestar said, his voice starting to get impatient. "Can you at least tell us who you saw running away?"

"My friends can verify that my claim is accurate. They're witnesses too." They really weren't, seeing as I hadn't been there for that reason in the first place, much less with my friends. My mind raced a million miles a minute, trying to select someone to shove the blame on. I picked a name in an instant. I didn't like her anyway, the fake plastic bitch. Then, feeling absolutely no remorse for what I was about to do, I uttered the name.

"It was Dovewing."

 **End Chapter 34**

 **I...think you guys can tell that Heathertail isn't exactly my favorite character. I hope everything in this chapter made sense and that it wasn't too boring.**

 **Reviews, please? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	35. False Accusations

**Hexagon**

Chapter 35: False Accusations

 **Well. This is the single fastest I have ever written a chapter. Maybe I'll be ahead for a change!**

 **Hollyleaf: ::coughs:: Getting ahead of ourselves again, are we?**

 **Me: Get back in the story, you. ::shoves::**

 **I would like to thank the fabulous Azureflower for beta-ing this chapter, and helping me with the argument scenes, as well as the following lovely people for their reviews:**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Guest**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Mad Hat Dragon**

 **-Featherfrost of StormClan**

 **-Azras Mind**

 **-Guest**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Hollyleaf08 (x2)  
**

 **-Star Speckled Sky (x3)**

 **Maybe I should just switch it from every Sunday to every Saturday, seeing as that's the day I update the most. Hmmmmm...Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

 **Dovewing's POV:**

I grabbed my makeup bag, stuffed in my eyelash curlers, mascara, lipstick, and the other few cosmetics I had taken out, and quickly headed to the door. Half Moon, who had been my cabinmate on the train and was now rooming with me, was taking a shower. With the bathroom occupied (Half Moon is notorious for taking absurdly long showers, although I probably take longer), I headed downstairs to get my makeup touched up before dinner.

Dinner actually started like half an hour ago, and there are some people who go early. But most of the students wait until later when the other hotel guests have left. I mean, dinner lasts another hour, so what's the rush? I smoothed out the creases in my pleated skirt, dragged down the v-neck of my blouse so it would be lower, and closed the door behind me.

I didn't encounter anyone as I walked along the dimly lit corridor, the sound of my shoes (red platform heels with a cross-strap) muffled by the carpet. The quiet was almost eerie. The elevator descended in silence, too, and I had this strange prickling sensation under my skin, like a warning that something was about to happen. I dismissed it, and pranced out of the elevator trying not to show how thoroughly unnerved I was.

I walked down another hall. This one was spacious, carpeted in dark cream and illuminated by half moon shaped lights on the walls. The occasional housekeeper or waitress scurried past, which I was thankful for. It wasn't silent anymore either, on the contrary, I could hear the sounds of laughing and chatter from the Dining Hall up ahead. I was about to make my way into a ladies' room I had spotted near the Dining Hall entrance, when my attention was drawn to a group of people standing outside the doors. At first, I ignored them. Then I realized exactly who those people were. Onestar, Firestar, and a large group of students, including Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, Heathertail, and many others.

I strode over, flipping my hair over my shoulder, and moved to stand next to Heathertail. "Hey, girl", I said coolly. "Am I missing something? And why are you associating with _them?"_ I said 'them' as if it tasted bad in my mouth, throwing a sharp glance over to the Thunder students. I looked at Heathertail. Strangely enough, for a teensy second, she looked shocked, surprised, and even...scared? The moment passed as quickly as it had come, and suddenly there was this calculating gleam in her eye that made it run cold down my spine.

She turned on me. "What are you missing?", she said, doing a very good job of making her voice sound affronted and angry. "The truth came out, that's what." I stared. "They know just how much of a horrible, manipulative bitch you are." I immediately felt my insides freezing up with dread. How had she known I was associating with-

I wasn't able to finish my thoughts. "How dare you lock them into the train compartment?!"

What.

I stared at the blond in confusion. I hadn't left my compartment at all during the trip, and now I was supposed to have done _what?_

I voiced this. "I didn't do anything!", I snapped back, my volume rising, the pitch of my voice become steadily higher. "Ask Half Moon, she was my cabinmate!" Suddenly, the look of fear was back. Heathertail stepped backwards. "You told me you didn't have a cabinmate!" I shrugged. "Things change." Suddenly, the blond looked furious, like she was going to try to slap me.

Firestar sighed. "Onestar, do me a favor and go get Half Moon. If memory serves me correct, she and Dovewing were staying in Room 441. Onestar nodded and stepped into the nearest elevator, which had luckily slid open right then. I took the moment, in which Onestar was retrieving Half Moon, to survey the rest of the students. Foxleap and Berrynose shot me dirty looks, but Lionblaze, on the other hand, was glaring at Heathertail. The rest, strangely enough, were looking at me piteously.

Onestar was back with Half Moon faster than I expected. Her usually white-blond hair was dark from the water and was pulled up hastily in a damp knot at the back of her head. She had the appearance of someone who has just been surprised in a very inconvenient moment. She was dressed sloppily too, in a teal tank top covered in wrinkles and black short-shorts.

Firestar got right to business. "You were Dovewing's cabinmate, correct?" She nodded, obviously confused. "Were you in Dovewing's presence at four thirty this afternoon?" Half Moon closed her eyes, thinking hard, a hand coming back to tangle in her wet locks. "No", she said finally. "I was in the bathroom."

Horror jolted through me as I remembered. I had been making my phone call in that moment, while Half Moon had been gone. Since she hadn't been there at the time in question...that left no one to vouch for me. Heathertail suddenly looked extremely pleased with herself, and I felt a rush of hatred for the smug blond. I was sure she had done it. I was sure it had been Heathertail who had locked the Thunder students in the compartment, and now she was shoving the blame on ME.

Firestar gave me a look like a parent who had just received an angry note from their child's teacher. "I am extremely disappointed in you, Dovewing. To stoop so low as to put your peers in danger. Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to participate in the activities that were planned. You have house arrest for the rest of the trip." I stared at him, horrified, barely comprehending what he was saying. "But I-", I tried to interject, but Firestar cut me off. "That is ENOUGH. Please go up to your room. You may get dinner later."

With that the redheaded teacher gestured for the rest of the students to follow him back into the Dining Hall, and I was left standing alone in the hallway. Even the housemaids were avoiding me. I saw Heathertail giving me a self-satisfied smirk as she flounced down the hall, and then disappeared behind the door.

Gripping my makeup bag tightly, I stormed into a nearby elevator, scaring the hotel guests that were already inside. The second we arrived on the fourth floor, I stalked out, threw open the door to my room, and seized the phone. I glanced around carefully, making sure I was alone. I dialed quickly, and waited.

The familiar voice, soft and soothing, sounded in my ear. He spoke in a low rumble. "Ah, Dovewing. Why are you calling so soon? Wasn't the next update supposed to be in a few days?" I breathed deeply, trying to suppress my fury. "Yes, sir", I said. "I'm sorry." The smooth voice sounded again, and I found myself drinking in his words as he reassured me. "Does your offer still stand?", I asked eagerly. His response was instant. "It does." I felt a cold kind of happiness flood through me. "I've changed my mind. I'll take the offer. I'd be more than happy to complete the task for you."

"Excellent." The call ended with that, and I pushed my phone back into my handbag. Earlier, I had refused. Funny what it took to change my mind.

…

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

I never thought I'd feel sorry for _her._ Dovewing. She had been one of the few people at school I truly hadn't been able to stand, with her bleach blond hair, revealing clothes, and two faced personality. One second, she'd be all nice and pretending to have good intentions, and the next she'd be spreading nasty rumors behind your back. That's the kind of person she was.

But for all her faults, she hadn't deserved _that._

The rest of the group was muttering among themselves, unsure of which side of the story to believe. I had for the most part stayed out of the conversation, instead opting to let my thoughts wander. It wasn't until Foxleap said, "Well, at least they got the person who did it" when I spoke up.

"You _saw_ Heathertail messing with the door. How in the name of StarClan can believe the shit she was spouting?" Foxleap had the decency to look ashamed of himself. "Her story made sense though", he muttered, all traces of his usual humor gone from his voice. I rubbed my temples. "I can't really blame you for not knowing. Look, Foxleap. I went to middle school with Heathertail, and if there's one thing I've learned about her, it's that she can lie without batting an eyelash. Trust me when I say that she was lying through her damn teeth just now."

Cinderheart sighed, running a hand through her silver ponytail, twisting the pale strands around her fingers. "Why Dovewing, though? The last time I checked, those two were best friends." Icecloud rolled her eyes. "It's Heathertail. Since when has one of her friendships lasted more than a year?"

I turned back and saw Dovewing positively storming into the nearest elevator and felt another rush of pity. No one deserved what Heathertail had just done, not even Dovewing. Following her example, our group crowded into the next available elevator, much to the distaste of catty looking couple. A good ten minutes later, we were back in our rooms.

Despite the fact that it had gotten rather late, no one was actually sleeping. Icecloud was sprawled on her mattress, going through social media. Honeyfern and Cinderheart were giggling over something on the couch, while Hazeltail had settled headphones over her ears and was blasting music.

I closed my eyes, thinking. There was something off about Dovewing. Something told me that this situation could only get worse.

 **End Chapter 35**

 **I fail at writing authors notes. Oh well. Reviews, please? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	36. The Boys Suffer

**Hexagon**

Chapter 36: The Boys Suffer

 **::clears throat:: Ahem. By the time this chapter is uploaded, I will be back at school ::cries:: Which means that my update schedule will be back to a chapter every other Sunday. But aside from those depressing thoughts, thank you to the following lovely reviewers:**

 **-Hollyshine**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Mad Hat Dragon**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Pudgyfluff**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-DappledleafTheBootiful**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Guest**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan (x13) Damnnnn XD ::hands trophy:: You win that championship!**

 **-Spottedice**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

Mistystar arched a silver eyebrow as she shot me her 'are you actually serious right now' look. "You want to do WHAT?", she asked. I looked at her sheepishly, pressing my two index fingers together. "...go to the shopping center in the next town to buy new clothes…?", I said hopefully.

Mistystar immediately went on a long tirade on why she absolutely couldn't allow it. The second she seemed to have run out of breath, I interjected. "I understand your concern", I said in my most mature voice. "But there really isn't anything to worry about. Firestar will be with us-" The redheaded teacher made a surprised choking noise in response to this, "-and we'll use our own money to buy only the things we need. Many of us are missing toiletries and other necessities. This trip is unavoidable." This continued on for another two and a half hours, until Mistystar finally caved.

She wagged her finger at me. "Alright, but you need to stick together and stay with Firestar. Buy only what you need. Your parents aren't made _entirely_ out of money, so don't go crazy." She then rattled off a long list of safety procedures, before shooing me out of her office.

The rest of the group had been waiting outside. The guys looked ready to keel over out of boredom, but the girls looked at me excitedly. "Well?!", Hazeltail squealed. "Shopping it is!", I responded. The boys looked at each other despairingly. "Aw, fuck..", Berrynose muttered.

Lionblaze began sneakily eyeing a nearby door, clearly mentally debating on whether he'd be able to slip away or not. I seized him by the arm, and began dragging him down the hallway. "Look alive, people!", I called to the rest of the boys, who looked like they'd rather sit through six hours of detention than go shopping. "We've got an entire mall to get through!"

Mistystar eventually talked a reluctant Firestar into accompanying us, and the ginger strode along before us, clutching his keys. The second we had been seated inside the car, he turned around to face us. I'll be the first to say that Firestar is one of the nicest and most understanding teachers at school. He's one of those teachers who is every students' friend.

What throws many people off is that unlike the other super nice teachers, he has no problem asserting his authority and being strict with students. And he showed that the second we had all sat down.

"Alright", he said, his voice cool. The redheaded teacher pulled out of the parking lot and started driving down the road. "You won't have to stay with me, but I expect all of you to stick together. I want a text telling me your location sent to me every half hour. Don't do anything illegal, obviously. If you lose someone or you need my help for whatever reason, get into contact with me. If you fail doing any of these things, we're leaving immediately and further punishment will be decided on. Is that clear?"

Foxleap looked like he would purposely break rules just so he could go home early, but a sharp "don't you fucking dare" glare from Icecloud made that look disappear real quick.

The car ride was longer than I expected it to be. While we were on the road, Firestar was playing some of the actual worst disco music I had ever heard, and much to my despair, it turned out that Firestar was a firm believer of "the driver is the DJ". So we were forced to suffer through soundtrack after soundtrack of disco music.

It felt like a dream come true when Firestar finally maneuvered into a parking space at the shopping center. The music was abruptly cut off as he pulled the key out of the ignition, and we stumbled out of the vehicle, each nursing a throbbing earache.

…

The inside of the shopping center took my breath away. The building had four floors, and a huge domed glass ceiling that left the whole place flooded with light. The tiles on the floors were arranged into elaborate mosaics, and every so often, we passed a cheerily bubbling fountain. The whole place was packed with people, shoppers laden down with bags of every color rushing past.

Firestar gave each of us his phone number and then went to find a comfortable spot on one of the loungers by a fountain. I turned to my fellow females, smirking. "So", I said. "Where to first?"

…

"A l-little..help...here?", I wheezed, tugging on the hem of the dress. It was certainly a very cute dress. It was in royal blue, with a short, swishy skirt, flowy sleeves, and cinched waistline. It was this exact cinched waistline that was giving me so much trouble.

I was in a changing room, the curtain doors drawn shut. "F-fallen Lea..ves...? The brunette pushed his head through the curtain, his hands over his eyes. "Is it okay for me to look?", he asked anxiously. "Yes, y-yes!", I gasped. "Help me out here?" He removed his hands, and saw the image of me struggling in the dress. "What do you want me to do?", he asked. "Zip it up", I panted.

He gave me a weird look. "Are you sure?", he asked, confused. "You look like you're about to break a rib. Maybe you should take it off before you puncture a lung or something." I yanked on the hem again. "It's fine!" Another pull on the hem. "It's cute! Plus it's the only one they had left. Help me out here!"

"I actually think you might asphyxiate in that. 'Died trying on a dress' really doesn't look that good on tombstone."

After another ten minutes of trying to force myself into the shiny blue garment, I was forced to admit defeat. I peeled off the dress, and unconsciously sighed with relief once I had finally regained the ability to breathe. Fallen Leaves was in the corner, hands pressed over his eyes, blushing furiously. Once I was back in my regular clothes, I left the changing rooms and saw the rest of the girls going nuts. Hazeltail had slung several pieces of clothing over Foxleap.

"Ooooooh! Look at these adorable leopard-print earmuffs! Foxleap, hold these please!" The redhead grudgingly obliged, and the headwear was added onto the already towering pile of clothes. "And why exactly", he inquired around a mouthful of fur patterned fluff, "do you need leopard-print earmuffs?"

Hazeltail ignored him.

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

I thought we had it bad when the girls were trying on clothes. Admittedly, it took forever and we spent most of the time carrying around shopping bags, which sucked. But it got worse. SO MUCH WORSE.

"Awwww, Lionblaze!", my raven haired sister cooed. "Look at these train patterned pajama pants! You would look so adorable in them!" Cinderheart, who was standing beside Hollyleaf, had to stuff a fist into her mouth to keep from howling with laughter. "Hollyleaf", I said patiently. "I'm 16. Not 6."

Berrynose, who had been watching this entire thing play out with tears of mirth streaming comically down his face, now held up a sparkly bathing suit intended for toddlers. "Awwww, Lionblaze!", he mocked. "Look at this glittery bikini! You would look so adorable in it!"

"Fuck you."

"Anytime."

Cinderheart choked on her fist. "Excuse me?" Berrynose held up his hands apologetically, still dying from laughter. "Sorry, sorry! It was a joke! OW! It was a joke!" The rest of the group turned to watch in amusement as Cinderheart chased Berrynose around the store.

...

Finally, several hours later and laden down with shopping bags, we sought out Firestar. The redheaded teacher had been relaxing in the lounge area. Berrynose was covered in bruises, Hollyleaf had found another dress that actually fit her, and Cinderheart had somehow snuck the train print pajama pants into one of my shopping bags.

All in all, the day was a success.

 **End Chapter 36**

 **And so ends my feeble attempt at humor. And...can anyone else relate with Hollyleaf? No? Just me? ::hides behind a bush:: Okay then.**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	37. Tension Builds

**Hexagon**

Chapter 37: Tension Builds

 **::steps back in awe:: Holy fuck,** _ **37**_ **chapters already? I'm going to take a moment to be impressed with myself. Excuse me.**

 ***2 Hours Later…***

 **Oh. Right. I have a chapter to write. Thank you so much to all the fabulous people who reviewed! Your comments are greatly appreciated.**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Abby6666**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Mad Hat Dragon**

 **-Crazycat10987**

 **-ZGTGt**

 **-DappledleafTheBootiful**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Hazeltail's POV:**

"FOXLEAP. Don't you fucking DARE."

The employee had literally just finished fastening my harness and attaching it to the zipline when Foxleap snuck up behind me. He placed his hands on my shoulders, grinning.

"Foxleap, NO." His smile became even wider.

"Foxleap, _YES."_

"For the love of Starcl-AAHHHHHHHHH!" My feet left the platform, and before I knew what was happening, I was zooming along on the zipline, the trees swishing by underneath me, the wind whipping at my face. Around me, my fellow riders and classmates were whooping and screaming. I faintly heard Foxleap hollering, "Have a nice flight!", over the rush of the wind.

"FUCK YOU FOXLEAAAAAPP!", I howled back.

"LANGUAGE, young lady!", I turned and saw Firestar whizzing past, his bright red hair flying up around his face. The zipline ride went by faster than I expected, and seconds later, my feet were thudding into a bed of packed sand. The instant I landed, a teenage boy with shaggy brown hair rushed to my side, and started removing my harness. His eyes kept darting to the ground shyly. I noticed he was...blushing?

In that moment, Foxleap landed next to me, still flashing his self-satisfied grin. Suddenly, a mischievous idea for revenge popped into my mind. Making sure the redhead was watching, I smiled flirtatiously at the brown haired boy. Batting my eyelashes, I cooed, "Thanks so much for helping me out of my harness."

The brown haired by turned an even deeper shade of red. Foxleap beside me was turning red too, but not with embarrassment. He was red with rage. He tore out of his harness, and started shooting the other boy a glare with the withering force of a thousand suns.

Said other boy turned rapidly from scarlet to pasty white, and scurried off as fast as his legs would carry him. Foxleap huffed. I swatted him over the head. "Awwww, was somebody jealous~?", I sing-songed teasingly. "No!", Foxleap snapped defensively. "Why would I be?" I started laughing, and Foxleap puffed up his cheeks, annoyed. Since this made him look like a pouty gopher, my hysterical laughter only increased.

…

After several hours of ziplining, Firestar called all the Thunder students back together. The other sectors were each doing their own activity, which I was glad for. A thousand five hundred students all going on the ziplines at once? No thanks. The Thunder students, looking wind beaten with their flyaway hair and clothes all out of place, gathered around eagerly.

"We're going to head back to the hotel. Make sure to dress comfortably, since we're going hiking with the Wind sector. You might want to bring bathing suits, too, seeing as there'll be a lake. We'll be able to swim if the weather warms up a bit."

Someone raised their hand. "We can really swim?! And in the lake?!" Firestar sighed, looking genuinely apologetic. "I wouldn't count on it. The weather isn't being very cooperative this year. But I would bring a bathing suit, just in case."

The walk back to the hotel was relatively short. I was walking between Hollyleaf and Icecloud and the rest of them. The guys stuck together too, talking about who knows what. Knowing them, probably soccer. When we got to the hotel, the other sectors weren't back yet. If I remember correctly, Shadow was taking a course on edible plants and River was canoeing. Where Wind was, I had no idea. They were supposed to be back at the hotel as well.

Although the Wind sector's absence was weird, it wasn't unheard of. Onestar had a reputation of being late. He would show up sooner or later. Undoing my ponytail, the rest of the girls and I headed up to our room to prepare. I decided on a dark gray pair of pants, comfortable shoes and a warm yellow jacket, knowing full well how prone the weather was to sudden changes. My bathing suit was on under all the hiking gear, although I didn't really think we would need it.

Surprisingly, it didn't take the other girls very long to get ready. Before we knew it, the Thunder sector stood assembled in the lobby, carrying bulky backpacks and dressed in hiking gear. The Wind sector, on the other hand, was taking its time. When the Wind students _finally_ came stepping out of the elevators, I almost choked on my own saliva.

The majority of the Wind sector was dressed in perfectly normal hiking clothes, but that was beside the point. Heathertail and her little gang, on the other hand….not so much. Heathertail herself was dressed in a white crop top, a ruffled white tennis skirt, and a pair of pure white ankle boots. She was wearing a rhinestone studded mini backpack, which, while looking super cute, probably didn't fit any more than bag of trail mix.

The rest of her group was dressed in similar fashions, which lead to Firestar coughing out, "Uh, ladies? Didn't we say _comfortable_ clothes? Did you even bring jackets?" Nightcloud leaned down to adjust the strap on her platform heels. "They're perfectly comfortable, thank you for asking", she said haughtily. Heathertail spoke up too. "And of course we brought jackets. We're not stupid. Can we leave now, please?"

Icecloud shot a disdainful glare over in Heathertail's direction. "She does realize", the blond groused out. "That the only reason we _haven't_ left yet is because they took so long?" Toadstep placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ignore it", he muttered. "She wants a reaction. Just don't let her see she got to you."

In that moment, Ivypool, who had been silently walking behind them, spoke up for the first time that trip. "She's actually unbearable." The rest of us spun. Ivypool glared icily. "What?", she muttered. "Can't say it's not true."

Bumblestripe shook himself out of his daze first. "No, you're right", he said hastily. "It's just...you haven't said much over the trip." Ivypool shrugged, pulled up her jacket zipper, and strode outside. "Wow", Lionblaze muttered to Berrynose. "Her attitude puts the temperatures out there to shame."

Berrynose elbowed him. "It's not even that cold. And she does have a point." Lionblaze snorted. "Hey!", he grumbled in response. "I'm from fucking _California._ These are sub-Arctic temperatures by my standards."

…

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

"Sub-arctic temperatures, my ass!"

"You're RUSSIAN, of course this weather doesn't bother you!"

"For the love of fucking StarClan, would you two SHUT UP?! You're scaring away the wildlife!" The two boys, who had been engaged in yet another pointless argument about the weather, turned to face…. "Ivypool?"

It seemed that the platinum blond girl had enough of her silent act, because she was being plenty vocal now. After about ten minutes of furious scolding from Ivypool, peace fell at last, with Berrynose and Lionblaze pointedly avoiding each other.

With the bickering having ceased, I diverted my entire attention on the forest. It was really very beautiful, with countless trees reaching up into the clouded sky. The first flowers were starting to shoot out of the ground after the Winter. Despite it being technically Spring, the weather was still rather chilly, and a biting wind was starting to whistle through the trees.

Cinderheart drew her azure blue windbreaker closer to her. "I guess we can forget about that swim", the silverette said, sounding disappointed. I nudged her. "I'm not sure a swim is worth getting pneumonia", I teased. The second I said the word 'pneumonia', something went off in my mind. _Heathertail!_ I turned and peered down the path. We were climbing uphill, and from my position in the middle of the group, I could see the line of students behind us. In the distance, I saw Onestar bringing up the rear. When I looked up, I caught a glimpse of Firestar's telltale red hair at front, leading the group.

I let my gaze roam over the people behind us, and saw students chatting with each other, admiring the wildlife and complaining about the cold. It took a moment before I saw her. Heathertail and her friends were stumbling along miserably in their high heels, but I had the most pity for Heathertail herself. The others had at least had the sense to dress somewhat warmly. Heathertail would catch her death out here. I looked around again. Firestar and Onestar were at opposite ends of the line, and didn't know what was going on.

I grabbed Fallen Leaves' arm. "Can you come with me?", I muttered to him. He nodded, bewildered. I quickly told my brothers and Cinderheart where we were going, and then started hurrying downhill. Fallen Leaves struggled to keep up with my pace, and almost tripped over a protruding rock on the way down. He barely caught himself on a tree. "Hollyleaf!", he said sharply. "Where are we going?" I didn't look back. "To help Heathertail. She'll catch her death if she keeps running around in that mini skirt, and in this weather to boot. I'm just glad I brought a spare coat."

"But she brought a jacket!", Fallen Leaves panted. "She said it to Firestar herself!"

"Have you met Heathertail? She lied to Firestar. Fashion is more important than anything to her. She'll sacrifice a jacket if it means she can look hot for my brother."

In that moment, I stopped. Heathertail and her friends stood right in front of us. The blond's teeth were chattering. "What do you want, _bitch?",_ she snapped at me. I glared. "You're hella lucky I have a conscience, or I would leave you to freeze", I snarled. I pulled the spare coat out of my bulging backpack and held it out to her. Her eyes widened.

Heathertail took a step back. "And what makes you think I want it?", she sneered. "I don't know where that rags' been. Knowing you, you probably shoved it up your ass before giving it to me." I rolled my eyes. "Oh for the love of StarClan...Heathertail, just swallow your damn pride and take it already!" I shoved the coat at her. The blond took a step back….and right into a large puddle of mud. She shrieked in horror as her pure white ankle boots sank into the dirty puddle.

The damage was instant. The suede seemed to almost soak up the mud, staining from fresh-snow white to swamp brown. Heathertail stare disbelievingly at her newly recolored shoes, then pointed a trembling finger at me. "YOU!", she wailed. "You stupid hoe, how could you? Those were brand new!"

It didn't take long for me to get fired up at this. "ME?", I yelled. "I'm not the one who was stupid enough to wear 800 Univ shoes on a fucking HIKE!"

 **End Chapter 37**

 **And tensions heat upppppp! Hollyleaf is really too nice. And the way Heathertail behaved toward her…::shudders::**

 **Reviews, please? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	38. Left Alone

**Hexagon**

Chapter 38: Left Alone

 **THIS CHAPTER GOT RESUBMITTED. There were a few things in the text that didn't line up and that needed fixing. Hello! If I get this chapter out on time, I will be deeply impressed with myself, because I am currently lacking any form of motivation whatsoever. Thank you to the following people for reviewing:**

 **-Tigercry**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Mad Hat Dragon**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Abby6666**

 **-DappledleafTheBootiful**

 **-hello (That sounds like an interesting idea. If I can get a decent story together for it, I'll either post it as a chapter here, or as a separate oneshot)**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-Guest**

 **Thank you so much for all the reviews, you guys are amazing :D**

 **Fallen Leaves' POV:**

"Look what you did, you dumb bitch!", Heathertail shrieked, desperately trying to rub the mud stains out of the white suede. "If that doesn't come out, you're buying me new shoes!"

Hollyleaf just glared, bristling with fury. She shoved her bulging backpack into my arms. "Hold this", she muttered. By now, the rest of the students had stopped walking, having paused to watch. I saw Hollyleaf's fists clench. The ravenette strode forward, rolled up her heavy jacket sleeves, and with a resounding _crack!_ Slapped Heathertail across the face. "If anyone here is a dumb bitch", Hollyleaf hissed, "It's you."

With that, she grabbed her backpack out of my arms, and marched back up the trail, to where the rest of the group had paused, having been watching, too. The ravenette didn't speak a word to anyone, just stormed up the path alongside us. Lionblaze fell into step beside his sister.

"Holly!", he panted. "That was seriously the most badass thing I have ever seen you do." The dark haired girl cracked the smallest of smiles. She didn't look quite as angry anymore.

I turned and looked back down the trail, where Heathertail was getting helped to her feet by a furiously blushing Wind boy. Her white miniskirt had a giant brown stain down the back, and I couldn't help noticing that it looked slightly like she had an "accident". Her left cheek was red and swollen from where Hollyleaf's hand had struck. To my surprise, the long haired blond picked up Hollyleaf's spare coat from the ground, and drew it around herself.

Heathertail looked up, and suddenly, her ice blue eyes locked on mine. An expression of loathing I had never seen before crossed over her face. I stared back in confusion, and then spun and jogged to catch up with the rest of the group. The conversation had moved on now, having shifted from what just happened with Heathertail to whether we'd be able to swim or not.

Cinderheart was still holding on to the hope that the weather would warm up by the time we got there, and I didn't have the heart to tell her that it would be highly unlikely.

After another fifteen minutes of walking, the path leveled out. The trees started to thin. And before we knew it, we were standing in a large clearing. The center of the clearing was taken up by a large lake, the surface smooth and glasslike. Trees were growing around the open area, surrounded by long grass and wildflowers. Several boulders and rocks were scattered around the clearing. There was a wooden building, almost like a little cottage, which housed the bathrooms. The whole picture was framed by the mountains, which rose majestically in the background.

I pulled up the zipper on my windbreaker and shoved my hands in my pockets. The entire scene was very picturesque, and had a peaceful air to it that instantly made me relax.

…

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

The first thing the boys did was scale a huge boulder sitting by the treeline. Hollyleaf watched this with crossed arms and an exasperated expression on her face. "Boys, honestly..", she muttered, but I didn't miss the fond smile that slid over her face. At that moment, Foxleap reached the top of the boulder, and with a great deal of yelling, made every effort to get Hazeltail's attention.

"Haaaazel! Over here, look what I did!" Unfortunately for him, the short brunette was currently occupied. She had found a way to smuggle her headphones onto the "nature walk" and was blasting music so loudly that birds had taken flight from the nearby trees.

Lionblaze and Bumblestripe were eagerly digging into a giant bag of trail mix. Honeyfern and Berrynose were standing on the edge of the lake, where Berrynose was attempting to hop across the rocks in the water, but only succeeded in getting his shoes soaking wet. Foxleap was now performing several dangerous acrobatics on the boulder, to the horror of Onestar, who came rushing across the clearing to put a stop to it.

Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves were sitting on a large rock together, conversing quietly. Rising from my seat in the grass, I yawned widely and made my way over to the boulder. "Guys!", I called up the rock. Lionblaze leaned over the side, hair disheveled, mouth stuffed with trail mix. "Mwaht's hup?" The strawberry blond coughed, swallowed, then said (much more clearly this time) "What's up?"

"I just got the most brilliant idea." I paused for dramatic effect, seeing one of Lionblaze's blond eyebrows raising in confusion. "Hide and go seek tag...in the woods!" Bumblestripe took that opportunity to lean over the side of the boulder too. "What are we, five?", he asked skeptically. Lionblaze rubbed his chin. "Actually, that sounds like fun. Think we can get the others to play?" Bumblestripe snorted. "You just say that 'cause she's your girlfriend."

"Do I need to shove you off the rock or are you going to shut up on your own?" Bumblestripe just laughed, and resealed the giant trail mix bag. "I bet we can get Bumblestripe and Honeyfern to play. Hazeltail, too. I don't know about Hollyleaf, Fallen Leaves and Jayfeather though."

I grinning evilly. "Don't worry, just leave that to me..."

…

I shoved a low hanging branch out of the way and dove into a bush, where Lionblaze was waiting for me. "You took your time", he muttered, as he peered through the branches. "Out of all the hiding places in the forest, you had to pick a BUSH?", I asked irritably. In that moment, I got skewered by a branch full of thorns. "OW!"

"Shhhh!", Lionblaze hissed. Right then, Honeyfern and Berrynose came bursting through a bramble thicket. "Where did she go?", Honeyfern cursed, picking thorns out of her pant legs. "I could have sworn that I just saw Cinderheart running this way!" Berrynose groaned. "I lost Lionblaze, too. I know he went in this direction!"

As the two "it" people continued complaining, Lionblaze muttered, "Who's playing anyway?"

"Just about everyone", I murmured back. "Even Heathertail and her group." Lionblaze gave me an incredulous stare. "It's not like I ASKED them. The Wind kids found out about it while I was asking the rest of Thunder and for some reason wanted to play. Heathertail, too, which is strange on it's own."

"How exactly does it work, anyway?" I picked another thorn off my sleeve. "There are two "it" people to begin with. Once you get tagged, you become "it" too, and you keep looking until everyone is "it". Last one standing is the winner." I peered through the bush again. Berrynose and Honeyfern were moving on, still muttering in annoyance. "That seems simple enough", Lionblaze said. "Did you see who's been caught?"

Seeing as the danger had passed, I extracted myself from the thorny bush and stepped back out into the open. "Well, Wind is outrunning everyone, to no one's surprise. I think Bumblestripe, Foxleap and Hazeltail have been caught so far. Oh, and Whitetail and Sedgewhisker from Wind."

"Huh." Lionblaze stepped out of the bush as well. "I was expecting Wind to totally be dominating."

…

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

I broke into a wild sprint, Fallen Leaves close on my heels. "Get them, dammit!", Heathertail howled from behind me. Heathertail had lasted surprisingly long in her high heels, but now even she had been tagged. At this point in the game, Nightcloud, Lionblaze, Fallen Leaves and I were the only ones who had not been tagged yet.

Knowing Lionblaze, he was probably perched in a tree somewhere, being a typical Thunder. How Nightcloud was still in the game, I had no idea.

Heathertail was surrounded by several Winds. Slowly but surely, her cronies were gaining on us. As if it hadn't already been hard enough, the mountain base seemed to come out of nowhere, rising up, blocking the way. The Wind students came pelting out of the trees. We were surrounded.

I didn't notice it at the time, but the earth behind me was loose. I gripped Fallen Leaves' arm. Heathertail came striding out of the trees, grinning wolfishly. I took a step backwards...right onto the loose patch of earth.

The dirt gave way under my feet, and suddenly, Fallen Leaves and I were falling, falling some twenty-five feet into a...tunnel? Because that's what it seemed to be. Smooth rock walls surrounded us, the air damp and clammy. Luckily for us, a large, soft mound of dirt had broken our fall, and I now picked myself off the ground to look up. Heathertail and her group were standing around the hole, peering down.

"Well!", Heathertail called, her voice echoing in the tunnel. "That's an unexpected turn of events!" I glared. "Heathertail! Help us up, please!" The blond just smiled, her grin even wider than before. "Who's the dumb bitch now?" Then, she peeled off the coat I had given her, and threw it down the hole, where it landed on Fallen Leaves' lap. "You'll be needing it!"

And with that, to my horror, Heathertail walked away, leaving us alone underground.

 **End Chapter 38**

 **I was actually having trouble deciding who would get stuck in the tunnels. Originally, it was going to be Hazeltail and Foxleap, but then I remembered which Warriors couple spent like a year underground in the tunnels anyway. Honestly, why didn't I think of doing that before?**

 **The hide and go seek tag thing was inspired by The Mighty Silverblaze's "Camp Warriors", for anyone who saw the resemblance. If you haven't read that fic, go read it. It's honestly amazing.**

 **What do you guys think of Heathertail's latest attempt to ruin the trip for Thunder? Reviews, please? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	39. Death by Rain

**Hexagon**

Chapter 39: Death by Rain

 **I ran out of chapter title ideas, okay?**

 **Welcome back. There was a mistake in the last chapter which I ended up removing. I believe I edited it on 10/2/18? Anyway, thank you to the following fabulous people for reviewing:**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Briarfeather4fun**

 **-hello**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Crazycat10987**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Heathertail's POV:**

I dusted off my hands, feeling satisfied with myself. I had to admit, the cold was starting to get to me. I was beginning to miss the jacket I had thrown a- I mean, given Hollyleaf. Breezepelt was standing next to me, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, glaring at the floor. In that moment, Harespring came jogging up to me.

"Berrynose tagged Lionblaze. I guess that makes her the winner." Harespring nodded disdainfully at Nightcloud, who had been standing next to me. The dark haired girl looked up and glared.

"Excuse you", I sneered. "Would you like to join Hollybitch and her boy toy in the hole over there or are you going to apologize?" Harespring's adoring gaze still lingered on me when he coughed out a harsh "Sorry" to Nightcloud. I shuddered. He was just so...gross.

"It's been fun", Breezepelt drawled from behind me, even though his tone suggested the opposite. "But can I go now?" I snorted. I had forgotten that Breezepelt wasn't here by choice. "No", I snapped. Breezepelt ignored me, and pressed on, "What's going to happen to Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Um, who cares?"

Breezepelt opened his mouth to retort, but I cut him off. "The park rangers will find them eventually, calm down." Breezepelt shoved his hands in his pockets. "I can't believe I EVER looked up to you", he muttered.

His statement hurt, I'll admit, but I pretended I didn't hear it. I straightened my shoulders. Narrowed my eyes. Smoothed my hair. And strode forward, the rest of the Wind students trailing behind me. I failed to notice that Sunstrike's gaze had locked onto Breezepelt's. I also failed to notice the short nod the two of them shared.

Oh, how I would come to regret it.

…

 **Breezepelt's POV:**

This is fucked up. This is really REALLY fucked up. I stared up at the clouds in the sky, which were swollen with rain. Any minute now, that rain would come pelting down, and I didn't even want to think about what would happen to Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves if it got that bad. A variety of unpleasant scenarios raced through my mind, each involving mudslides and flooding.

Heathertail and the rest of the group were still parading through the forest, Harespring gazing at Heathertail with those sickening puppy-dog eyes. Sunstrike was meekly following behind the group, her long honey blond hair sharply contrasting the dreary woods. I looked around. The group was paying me no attention, with the exception of Sunstrike, who was staring directly at me.

The honey blond gave me a tiny nod, and I took it that she had understood. She made a subtle gesture at the trees lining the path, and then pointedly looked in the other direction. Her message was clear. _I won't tell her._ I let out a short sigh of relief, looked around a final time, and slipped into the woods.

From there, my path was clear. I circled around the trail, making sure to stay out of Heathertail's sightline. I saw the trees thinning ahead of me, and caught a glimpse of the clearing. I saw students milling around, the giant boulder raising into the air, the roof of the bathrooms. Heathertail was about to get what was coming to her.

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

I settled myself onto the boulder that Berrynose had affectionately dubbed "the Loser's Rock". The vast majority of the students who had been playing were already sitting around it. Cinderheart was sitting on the very top, and I took a seat next to her.

She smirked at me. "Lost, huh?", she teased. I scowled. "Berrynose got the jump on me. Next time I'm winning for sure." Cinderheart laughed. "That's what you get for sacrificing me to get away, you asshole."

"For the last time, that was an accident! Will you let it go already?"

"We both know I'm gonna be holding that over your head for a while. Even if it was an accident, you didn't come back to help me, so don't even try to make me feel bad."

I raised my hands in protest. "If I had come back, she would have gotten me too!" As we continued arguing, I had my eyes fixed on the trail that came from the forest. More and more students could be seen coming out as the game drew to a close. Slowly, the amounts of people emerging from the trees started to dwindle. I scanned the groups of students, looking for any sign of Hollyleaf's glossy black ponytail, or Fallen Leaves' auburn hair.

Nothing. The two of them were nowhere to be seen. Cinderheart had apparently had the same thought. She had fallen silent, and was craning her neck to get a glimpse of the pair.

Jayfeather, who had been sitting behind us, apparently taking a nap, was suddenly wide awake. "Something feels off", he muttered. "The game is as good as over, they should have been back by now." Cinderheart didn't look at him, her eyes fixed on the trail. She hummed in agreement, then turned to me. "Lionblaze, you climbed a tree, right?" I nodded. "You wouldn't happen to have seen which direction Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves went?"

Something inside me seemed to click. "Actually", I said, feeling relief wash over me, "I did."

…

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

I was pacing. The caves seemed to stretch on endlessly, from what we had seen. Fallen Leaves and I had ventured into the tunnel network only briefly, trying to scope out where we were. We had turned back relatively quickly though. After about ten minutes of walking, it became obvious that these cave systems were _big._

While walking, we had learned several things about our situation. The tunnels we were in were part of a system of river caves. There were several chambers which contained eerily beautiful lakes, the water a haunting blue-green. These lakes were connected through rivers, which ran through the tunnels.

The two of us were in one of these lake chambers. We had chosen the one closest to our entrance, seeing as getting lost would be one of the absolute worst things that could happen to us at the moment. This particular lake wasn't very large, but it was rather deep. How deep it was, I don't know, and I wasn't about to try and find out.

Fallen Leaves was laying on the ground, flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. There were several large holes in the roof of the cave, not just in this chamber, but in almost all of them. It allowed us to see the sky, and the sunlight above. I was glad for it, because it meant we weren't completely stuck underground, but in a way it was cruel. The holes were far too high for us to reach, and in a way it seemed to be taunting us.

"How long do you think it will take them to find us?", I asked quietly. Fallen Leaves just sighed, his eyes fixated on one of the holes above him. The sky was gray, dark clouds signally the brewing of a storm. I tried again. "Look at it this way", I offered. "At least we'll be dry. I don't know about warm, but at least dry."

Fallen Leaves suddenly bolted up. I stared at him. "Uh...what's the matter?"

"We need to get out of here. Come on!" He grabbed my wrist, and began dragging me along the tunnel to our entry point. "Wha-aaaht the hell are you doing?! Let me go!"I yanked my arm free.

"Okay!", I gasped. "You'd better have a damn good explanation for that!" Fallen Leaves dragged me over to the wall of the tunnel. He pointed to faint dark gray line that went along the stone. "Do you know what those are?"

I blinked, tilted my head, peered at the line more closely. "They...look like water marks?" Fallen Leaves nodded, his eyes flitting around. "I've read about caves like this. River caves are especially prone to it. Sometimes, when it rains enough, it causes the lakes and rivers underground to flood. The whole cave system fills up. The water drains away eventually, but it leaves these water marks behind."

I stared up through the hole in the ceiling, at the dark clouds in the sky. In that moment, a drop of water hit me right on the forehead. Then another. And another.

I understood immediately. We need to get out of here, before the caves flooded. And yet, the rain seemed to only intensify, water pelting through the holes in the ceiling. I turned tail, and sprinted back to the lake. Already, the banks of the lake were swelling, and there was nothing we could do to stop it.

 **End Chapter 39**

 **If I remember correctly, Fallen Leaves died in the flooded tunnels in canon, trying to become a sharpclaw. I have no idea if the whole "cave flooding because of rain" is a thing in real life, but I thought it would be a nice touch.**

 **Reviews, plz? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	40. Hell and Back

**Hexagon**

Chapter 40: Hell and Back

 **Yo, welcome back. ::yawns:: Thank you to the following fabulous people for reviewing (I love you guys! Reviews help me feel motivated) :**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **-DappledleaftheBootiful**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-hello**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Feathershade**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-cocolily**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Briarfeather4fun**

 **Enjoy peeps :)**

 **Hollyleaf's POV**

It had been slow. First, the muddy water had only pooled around our feet, then our ankles. When it climbed to about halfway up my shins, I had started to feel the fear sinking its talons into my stomach. But it continued to rise, and before I knew it, the water was lapping at my hips. Fallen Leaves was staring helplessly up the hole, his arms resting on the muddy sides. He had long since exhausted his vocal cords with screams for help.

The screams had come to nothing. The only thing that stirred in the forest around us were curious woodland animals and the little streams of water than had started flowing into the hole. In that moment, a sizable bit of mud landed on my head from above.

"Oh, for fuck's sake….", I muttered. I turned to Fallen Leaves.

"We're...we're not getting out of here, are we?"

The auburn haired boy sighed, resting his head on the side of the hole. "I wish I knew", he muttered. I took a deep breath. "Hey….Fallen Leaves?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I try something real quick?"

Fallen Leaves turned around, hair coated in mud, his shirt clinging to his frame. "Sure", he said tiredly. Feeling a sudden burst of courage welling up inside of me, I walked forward. I took his face in my hands, ignoring the cool squelsh of the mud under my fingers. And then, silently praying I wasn't about to ruin our friendship, pressed my lips to his.

…

 **Briarlight's POV:**

I watched from my position on my boulder as Lionblaze and the others began to make their way into the forest. I hopped down, hearing gravel crunch under the soles of my tennis shoes, and jogged over to them.

"It's about Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves, isn't it?", I asked quietly. Jayfeather placed his arms behind his head, and gave me a scrutinizing look. "Actually", he said quietly. "You're fast. We might need you."

"What exactly is going on?", I muttered.

"It's Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves. They should have been back by now, and we're starting to think something might have happened to them."

"Why don't you tell the heads?", I asked. "Don't you think they would be of more help than me?" Lionblaze snorted, and gestured to the far side of the clearing, where a bawling Wind freshman was stuck in a tree. Firestar and Onestar were standing underneath, trying to convince the boy to come down.

"Are you serious? They have more than enough on their plates." As if on cue, the same Wind boy burst into hysterical tears and clung even tighter to the trunk. "Honestly. This is why only Thunder climbs trees."

I saw Jayfeather's sightless eyes suddenly widen, and he hissed, "Shut the hell up for a moment!" Cinderheart stared at him in confusion. "What?", she asked quietly. "Why?"

Whatever it was that put Jayfeather on such high alert, Lionblaze had noticed it too. "Shhhhh!", he whispered. We waited in silence for a couple of minutes, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, Lionblaze dove into a nearby bush.

I heard a yell of pain, Lionblaze's exclamation of "I fucking KNEW it!" and the sounds of a violent scuffle. There was the sound of flesh hitting flesh, the crunch of a fist colliding with someone's face, and then, BREEZEPELT of all people came stumbling out of the bush, nursing a fat lip. Lionblaze followed, looking bedraggled, the side of this face covered in purpling bruises.

The strawberry blond seized Breezepelt by the collar of his muddy shirt. "What the fuck are you doing here?", he snarled. The dark haired boy spat derisively. "I know where your sister is. And if you want to rescue her, you can start by letting me go."

Lionblaze dropped Breezepelt so quickly that the raven landed on his ass. Breezepelt stood, rubbing his sore behind. "Well", he sneered. "It wasn't that hard to act civilized, was it Lionblaze?" The strawberry blond ignored the statement, although I saw the tips of his ears reddening with anger.

Cinderheart seized Breezepelt's arm and shoved him in front of her. "Well", she hissed. "Show me where my best friend is." The raven rubbed his sore arm. "Chill the hell out, StarClan", he muttered, but nevertheless, he began leading the way through the forest.

…

The hole gaped in front of us, and I saw water running in little streams down the sides. I flinched. That had to be unpleasant for the people in there. Breezepelt was leaning against a nearby tree, a disgusting smug expression on his face. "Happy now, Blazikins?", he drawled. He was using the nickname Heathertail had given Lionblaze when they were still together. The strawberry blond flipped him the bird, and peered into the hole.

And was immediately met with the sight of Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves making out. "Hey lovebirds!", Cinderheart called down. "Help is on the way!" The two of them broke apart. Fallen Leaves looked slightly embarrassed at being caught in that kind of situation, but a wide smile of relief broke across Hollyleaf's face. "Thank StarClan", she breathed.

Cinderheart turned to me, and said, "Briarlight, go for help. There's no way we can get them out on our own." I gave a sharp nod. "You got it."

I took off into the woods, and pulled up my hood to shield myself from the rain. The weather was getting even worse, if that was even possible. My clothes were plastered to my skin, the water was pounding into my back. The rain was so thick I could barely see where I was going, and I almost ran into a tree on multiple occasions. Still, I kept running.

Because of the horrible visibility, I took a wrong turn several times. My feet caught themselves on roots sticking out of the grounds. I went flying face first into the dirt more times than I like to admit. I didn't let that stop me. Just when I thought I was hopelessly lost, the clearing opened up in front of me. I saw the rest of the group, holding rainbeaten umbrellas, waiting for the weather to let up.

I let out a long sigh of relief, and jogged over to Firestar, who had finally gotten the crying Wind boy out of the tree. "Professor!", I gasped, keeling over, finally letting my exhaustion catch up with me. "We need your help."

…

I don't think I've ever seen Firestar run that fast. Onestar was keeping up with ease, but that was to be expected. The Wind were known for their prowess in running, and there was no doubt that the Wind head would meet those expectations as well. We reached the hole after a good fifteen minutes of running, and when we did, I could have sworn I felt my heart stop in my chest.

The water levels had gone up. Muddy water churned inside the hole, slapping against the sides, spilling over. But the rain pounded on, powerful enough to knock me over. Suddenly, a head surfaced in the water. It was Hollyleaf.

…

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

A series of bubbles escaped my mouth as I fought my way to the surface. The water had risen so quickly. I remember we had been up to our waists in muck, and then the rain had picked up. Wind screamed past the top of our hole. The lake slopped over its banks, unable to handle the vast amounts of water that it was being subjected to. A large muddy wave came crashing down the tunnel, and before we knew it, we were in over our heads.

The water was freezing cold, and my eyes stung every time I opened them, but I ignored it. Fallen Leaves, I had to get to Fallen Leaves! I glanced around the water desperately, and eventually I saw him. He was nothing more than a shadow in the darkness, but I recognized his broad shouldered form immediately. I seized the back of his shirt, and began tugging him up to the surface.

StarClan, he was heavy. I felt my lungs scream for air and my muscles aching, but I didn't let go. With one final push, I broke the surface, and heaved Fallen Leaves up with me. He spluttered as his head surfaced, gasping for air. Lionblaze was leaning over the edge of the hole, Breezepelt holding him in place. The strawberry blond extended his hand. "Grab my arm!", he screamed.

I went for it, but missed. I went under for a moment, but forced myself to the surface again, dragging Fallen Leaves with me. "Help!", I shrieked. "Fallen Leaves can't swi-" In that moment, another wave crashed over us. This time, we were knocked down further than I could have imagined. My feet hit the bottom of the hole. I pushed off, trying to get back to the top, and even made it a good portion of the way, before I felt myself get pushed under again.

This time, I didn't try. I gripped Fallen Leaves, and let myself float. My lungs felt like they were contracting on me. Black spots swam in my vision. I felt my eyelids getting heavy, as if they were made of lead.

Suddenly, something seized me by the middle, and I was harshly yanked upwards, Fallen Leaves coming up with me. My head burst out of the water, and I glanced around wildly, looking for my savior. It was Firestar, red hair soaking wet, his eyes filled with terror. With one rough pull, I was coming out of the water, and being rolled onto the earth around the hole.

My friends were upon me in an instant. Cinderheart was crying, Lionblaze looked like he had just been through the pits of hell. But that's not what I was focused on. It was Fallen Leaves, lying on the ground, unmoving, water bubbling at his mouth.

Thank StarClan for Jayfeather. Sometimes I forgot he was training in medicine. He rushed forward, his back to me, and got to work. My friends turned me away, and Briarlight was draping her windbreaker over my shoulders, but I didn't register anything around me. I just stared ahead, disbelieving.

Suddenly, a sharp cough sounded behind me. I spun. Fallen Leaves was sitting up, spitting out several mouthfuls of mud. Jayfeather collapsed on the ground next to him, an expression of relief on his face. My brother shoved a hank of wet black hair out of his eyes, and smiled softly.

"Thank the Stars."

 **End Chapter 40**

 **Y'all thought I was going to kill Fallen Leaves. Lol**

 **Reviews, please? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	41. Aftermath

**Hexagon**

Chapter 41: Aftermath

 **Azra: Welcome back, my muffins! Also I updated a day early cuz I finished my chapter today and I have 0 self control. You're welcome I guess.**

 **Lionblaze: ::coughs:: You're muffins now apparently.**

 **Azra: ::claps hand over mouth:: Shhhhhh! They don't know that!**

 **Lionblaze: *incredulous* You LITERALLY just sai-**

 **Azra: SHHHHHHHHH!**

 **Lionblaze: That's it. Breaking the fourth wall sucks. I'm going back to the story. At least everyone there is SORT of sane.**

 **::jumps through manhole::**

 **Lionblaze, in the distance: Azra STILL doesn't own Warriors!**

 **Azra: One day. One day…**

 **Thank you to all the following people for reviewing:**

 **-hello**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Abby6666**

 **-DappledleafTheBootiful**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **-Crazycat10987**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-Briarfeather4fun**

 **You guys are awesome! On with the fic!**

 **Hollyleaf's POV: (wow I use this POV a lot…)**

I stood, shivering, as I watched the front wheel of Mistystar's rental car crawling up the road. Fallen Leaves and I were at the edge of a clearing, huddled under a giant purple umbrella. Even though most people got up to the clearing using the trail, there was a small workman's road that led up here too. The shiny blue Mercedes came to a stop, and the front door practically flew open, admitting Mistystar to the chilly air.

Despite her frazzled facial expression and the obvious stress and concern that was weighing down on her, Mistystar still looked perfectly put together. She was dressed in a cream colored cashmere sweater with a crisp pair of straight-legged slacks. Her silvery blue hair framed her face in loose waves, pearl earrings glinting softly at her ears.

That was the thing with Mistystar. She wouldn't be caught dead wearing a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. One time, someone pulled the fire alarm at 3 am as a joke (he got three months of detention for that little stunt), meaning the whole school had to evacuate in the middle of the night. The other teachers were in underwear, or bathrobes, or badly fitting pajamas. Mistystar showed up wearing a full on SUIT, complete with dress pants, blouse, blazer, and high heeled shoes. She even had a full face of makeup on. There were people at school who swore up and down that she slept in business suit with all the bells and whistles, just in case she had to get up at short notice.

I don't believe in that kind of bullshit, but after knowing of all the stress the woman had been through in the last few hours, I was deeply impressed with how she still managed to look like she had just stepped off the runway.

Mistystar ushered us into the backseat of the Mercedes. Fallen Leaves and I slid onto the soft leather seats, and my partner immediately collapsed against the padded backrests. I couldn't blame him, especially since the interior of the car was pleasantly warm. The lights glowed softly, and I felt the heater humming away under our seats. As I looked around the car, it became clear that Mistystar had made herself at home. There was a case of Perrier sparkling water sitting at my feet, and I spotted an air freshener emitting Mistystar's favorite French Vanilla scent.

The Mercedes began going back down the road, and I saw the rest of the students starting to descend down the trail. Many were jabbering excitedly, laughing, talking. Most of the students still didn't know of our near-death experience.

Mistystar adjusted the mirror so she could look us in the face, and said, "We'll have the nurse on duty check you two out when we get back. If you're deemed fit to go, you may go up to your rooms." I nodded tiredly to show I had understood, and leaned back on the seat. I looked out the window, feeling my eyelids start to get heavy.

The trees passed on the side of the road, their crowns reaching the the overcast gray sky, their branches bowing under the rain. Fallen Leaves, who was sitting next to me, had his eyes closed, although I doubted he was asleep. I felt like I could fall asleep, though. The pit-pattering of the rain on the roof of the car, the comfortable lighting, the pleasant warmth that surrounded me, even in my wet clothes…

…

I felt warm. I was lying on top of someone, and something that felt suspiciously like an arm was wrapped around me, the hand coming to rest at my hip. There was what sounded like someone giggling quietly, but I couldn't bring myself to be bothered. Everything around me seemed out of focus, and oh so comfortingly warm... I grabbed a fistful of what might have been cloth, and snuggled into it.

"Awwwwww~!"

Okay. That was definitely not my imagination. I raised my head slightly, and cracked my eyes open a tiny bit.

…...aaaaand was met with the disturbing image of Mistystar holding a camera, with a deranged fangirl expression on her face. I looked around. I was curled onto Fallen Leaves' lap, my hands gripping tightly onto the front of his shirt. My face had been burrowed into the space between his hip and the seat (thankfully not his crotch, because that would have been awkward and a bit too close to that dream last we-WAIT I DIDN'T JUST THINK THAT)

I pulled the hem of my borrowed sweatshirt up over my face, hoping Mistystar hadn't just seen the scarlet that had made its way over my cheeks. The silver haired head just slid the camera into her pocket and flashed me a shit-eating grin that looked supremely out of place on her professional features. "Well lovebirds, we're here", she said teasingly, and left the car.

I groaned, poked a clueless Fallen Leaves awake, and banged my head on the wall for good measure. I opened the door, and found that we were back at the hotel. The nurse on duty happened to be Yellowfang. Yay us. The woman has a reputation for being no nonsense and very strict, even though I had never been on the receiving end of it.

Yellowfang was a tall, intimidating woman in her early sixties. She had salt and pepper hair, the inky black beginning to be streaked with gray. There was a large scar that spanned over the bridge of her nose.

"Well", Yellowfang said briskly, striding into the hotel. "Let's get to it, shall we?"

Yellowfang finished with me relatively quickly. She checked me over, and after finding me of satisfactory health, sent me up to my room and ordered me to change into dry clothes. Fallen Leaves however, took a lot longer. The other students had already gotten back from the hike when the door to our room opened, and Fallen Leaves came in.

I had literally just gotten out of the bathtub, and was sitting on a stool in a fuzzy purple bathrobe. Lionblaze was blow drying my hair, which he's surprisingly good at. Fallen Leaves came through the door, and the second he did, everyone was upon him, asking him what Yellowfang had said, and if he was okay. The other girls immediately set to fussing over him, much to Fallen Leaves' discomfort. Before he knew it, he was being shoved into a bed, swaddled in blankets, and surrounded with more pillows and stuffed animals than any sane person should ever have to deal with.

I picked my way through the minefield of pillows, moved a stuffed hippopotamus out of the way, and sat next to him on the bed. "What did Yellowfang do?", I asked curiously. The brunette was playing with a stuffed cat and wasn't looking at me. "She checked me over for pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, all that fun stuff", he responded. I fiddled with the blanket. "You're good to go?"

"Obviously", he said. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't, would I?" I rolled my eyes. "I see someone's getting lippy."

Fallen Leaves just grinned. I smiled back. "I'm glad you're okay."

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

The second Fallen Leaves came through that door, the mood in the room lightened considerably. The frown lines disappeared from Hollyleaf's face almost immediately. I prodded her gently with the hair dryer. "Careful with those frown lines", I teased. "Wouldn't want you getting wrinkles."

"Excuse you", Cinderheart quipped. "Who was standing with old man back literally 30 seconds ago?" I flushed. "That's different!" "Sure it is", the silverette teased. "Uh oh, watch the facial expressions. Any more of that and you'll get a canyon between your eyebrows."

Berrynose was choking on air in the corner, trying not to laugh and making himself look ridiculous in the process. He caught me glaring at him and took a nonchalant swig of water. Which then ultimately backfired on him when he started choking. Thankfully, Honeyfern came up behind him and began thumping him on the back. Several choking noises and a whole lot of spit later, Honeyfern was sterilizing her hands in the bathroom, and Berrynose was laughing so loudly he was crying and looked like a walrus on drugs.

"It wasn't THAT funny", I snapped across the room. Cinderheart was looking slightly confused at the reaction from Berrynose as well, although she was much better at concealing it.

Berrynose shrugged. "It involved making fun of you so I'm down."

"..."

"Aren't you just a wonderful friend."

 **End Chapter 41**

 **You might want to check for fluff-induced cavities after reading this chapter.**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	42. Face to Face

**Hexagon**

Chapter 42: Face to Face

" **Don't worry about this class over Thanksgiving, I don't believe in homework over break", my English teacher says casually AS HE ASSIGNS US A FUCKING PACKET ON SHAKESPEARE OVER BREAK. ::cough:: Moving on. Thank you to the following fabulous people for their reviews:**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-hello**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-ThoughtfulWizardOfTime**

 **-cri**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **You guys are awesome :D On with the fic!**

 **Berrynose's POV:**

The door flew open, and Firestar stuck his head inside the room. "Wakey wakey boys!", he called, his voice far too cheerful for early in the morning. He was met with groans and a gravelly "Go awaaaaaay….", which sounded like it came from Foxleap's side of the room. Firestar's eye twitched in annoyance, and he strode into the room.

The scarlet haired head yanked open the curtains on the window, and freshly minted beams of sunlight poured in, the whole area suddenly becoming obnoxiously bright. "Breakfast is ready, come get it while it's hot!", Firestar pressed on, his voice becoming increasingly jaunty. Jayfeather spoke up from his bed in the far corner and said, "It's a hotel. Breakfast doesn't end for another four hours."

Doing my best to ignore the noise in the room, I rolled over, pressing my face into my pillow. I heard Lionblaze's sleep roughened voice grumble out, "It's six in the fucking morning…."

I sat up just in time to see Lionblaze getting thwacked over the head with a stuffed elephant seal. "Language!", the Thunder head scolded. "Now get your lazy asses up, we don't have all day." The door closed behind Firestar with a muffled click. Lionblaze was gesticulating wildly in the direction Firestar had disappeared in. "And he tells _me_ not to swear!", he spluttered.

Aside from Lionblaze's huffs of indignation, we laid in silence for a few more minutes. Bumblestripe coughed pointedly, and made a motion that suggested getting out of bed. Foxleap fished around his nightstand, and threw a cough drop tin at him.

"...are you fucking serious?"

Foxleap shrugged, and snuggled back into his comforter.

Bumblestripe groaned. "Guys, if he comes back in here and sees us still in bed, he's gonna kick our asses." There was a moment of silence, then I heard Fallen Leaves stumbling into the bathroom, where he groggily began brushing his teeth. Realizing I no longer had an excuse to be lazy, I slid out of bed. I yanked off my pajamas, wadded them up, and tossed them onto the tangled sheets.

It took around twenty minutes for the six of us to look somewhat presentable. Fallen Leaves, for example, had the hair on one side of his head completely flattened down where he had lain on it, where the other side stood up to the point where it resembled a mohawk. Jayfeather had a toothpaste smear over one cheek, and Lionblaze was covered in deodorant stains.

We stumbled into the hall, and ran into the girls who didn't look much better than we did. Honeyfern came up behind me, sporting an epic bedhead that rivaled Fallen Leaves'. "Morning", she yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Nice hair", I teased, and was rewarded with a punch to the shoulder. "You obviously haven't bothered to look in a mirror this morning, have you?", she retorted, but there was no real malice in her words.

We piled into the nearest elevator, the eleven of us barely fitting in. I was pressed up against multiple different people in the close quarters, including Hollyleaf, Icecloud, and Honeyfern. I fumbled in my pockets, trying to find my phone, and felt my palms brush up against someone. That someone turned and shot me a half-stern glare.

"You had better not be groping me", Honeyfern said flatly. "We're in public." Foxleap took this opportunity to holler, "But in private it's fine, yeah?"

The ginger suddenly found himself crumpled to the floor, Icecloud standing above him, wielding a soccer cleat. "Don't be gross. No one needs that mental image, especially before breakfast." Hollyleaf cringed. "I swear, this group can't last five minutes without someone making a dirty joke", she groaned.

Jayfeather rolled his unseeing blue eyes. "Hollyleaf, meet Foxleap, Berrynose, and Lionblaze. What exactly were you expecting?"

"Somehow I feel like I should be offended", Lionblaze said drily. On that note, the elevator doors slid open, and we made our way to the Dining Hall entrance. Surprisingly, the cream carpeted corridor wasn't empty, as one would expect this early in the morning. Students were milling about, looking just as groggy and irritated as we did. I assumed that the teachers had completed their "wake up all the sleep deprived teenagers" routine early.

The hotel workers, on the other hand, were wide awake already. A few members of the cleaning staff passed by, and I caught snippets of German conversation, none of which I understood. A few of them shot us sympathetic glances, while others looked amused.

One of the maids switched over to English, and asked, "Your teachers woke you up early, I assume?" Icecloud behind me gave a bleary nod, and yawned. The maid stifled a laugh, and nodded her head at the Dining Hall door. "Well, the Hall is open now. I recommend you hurry before all the good stuff is gone."

Taking her word for it, we made our way into the Hall. Icecloud and Cinderheart, being some of the fastest sprinters in our group, hurried to claim one of the window tables. The rest of us joined the line in front of the buffet. Cinderheart, who had thrown her bag down on top of the table, called over, "Hey Blaze, can you get me a cinnamon roll?"

"A what?", he yelled back.

"A cinn-oh forget it, I'll do it myself."

…

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

I sprinted through the forest of mostly empty chairs, Icecloud hot on my heels. The other students were starting to file into the Dining Hall, and I silently thanked the maid who had given us the head start. Feeling triumphant, I slammed my bag onto the window table, and peered outside. The hotel sat on a hill, and therefore was at a higher elevation than the rest of the forest. The Dining Hall was also located on the second floor, and these two factors combined resulted in a fantastic view when one looked out the window.

The forest sprawled out beneath us, the rooftops of the nearby town barely visible in distance. A brook was weaving its way through the trees, merrily gurgling over its rocky bed. The sky was overcast, with the sun nothing more than a bright spot peeking out from under a particularly fat cloud. The trees were bending slightly under the wind, and if I really strained my ears, I could hear the faint rattling of the window panes.

I stopped staring out the window, and looked at the buffet line, which by now snaked out the door. I groaned. I _knew_ I should have been faster.

"Hey, Blaze!", I called. "Can you get me a cinnamon roll?"

"A what?", he yelled back.

"A cinn-" By now I was getting an annoyed look from several of the other guests, so I just called, "Oh forget it, I'll do it myself." I grabbed a tray from the table in the front of the Hall, and situated myself at the end of the line. I gazed in front of me, and realized just how long the line was. This was going to take _forever._ I muttered a curse word under my breath. In that moment, I realized the person in front of me had long, silky blond hair. Very _familiar_ long, silky blond hair. She was dressed in tight white shirt and a cropped bomber jacket with a fur lined hood.

The girl turned slowly, her golden hoop earrings swishing almost ominously. The corners of her vermillion painted lips turned up in a smirk. There was a steely glint in her icy blue eyes.

It was Heathertail and her cronies.

 _Shit._

…

 **Half Moon's POV:**

 _Something isn't right._ That's what was running through my mind as I sat down. Blossomfall and Briarlight were already seated at the table. Blossomfall, as usual, had her nose buried inside a book. Briarlight was eyeballed one of the window tables. Said table was rowdy as hell, with loud laughter and yelling. Foxleap was doing an obnoxious imitation of Firestar coming into their room and waking them up, not realizing that the Thunder head was sitting with his colleagues literally a table away.

I was too distracted to even notice that Briarlight's eyes were fixed on a certain blind, blue eyed medicine trainee. It was Dovewing who occupying my thoughts.

Something didn't add up. She kept disappearing at regular intervals to go to the bathroom or get something from her room (I was fairly sure she was doing neither). Plus her reaction to getting, you know, BANNED from the trip didn't make sense. She looked positively GLEEFUL at having to stay at the hotel while the rest of us went ziplining.

Well, Dovewing had always been kind of strange. Beautiful and popular yes, but strange all the same. Shoving my roommate out of my thoughts, I sat down to eat.

 **End Chapter 42**

 **Any guesses on what will happen between Cinderheart and Heathertail? I could use a few suggestions, since my creative juices decided to run out on me.**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	43. Blackstar Has No Mercy

**Hexagon**

Chapter 43: Blackstar Has No Mercy

 **Hello! I decided not to procrastinate on writing and actually started ahead of time (instead of doing homework I might add). Also I apologize for the lame title. Anyway, thanks to the following people for their lovely reviews!**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Guest**

 **-BiblicalEnthusiast**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-MultiFandomTrash-6**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Tigercry**

 **-Lulurocks01**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-briarfeather4fun**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-Blujay (x2)**

 **-ivane**

 **You guys are awesome. Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

 **Honeyfern's POV:**

I slid into my seat and brushed a lock of blond hair behind my ear. The rest of the table had already started eating, and deciding to follow their example, I shoved a spoonful of scrambled eggs into my mouth. I looked up and took a long sip of the steaming hot chocolate, only to find the seat in front of me empty.

I swallowed the chocolate-y froth, humming as the sweet liquid went down. "Where's Cinderheart?"

Lionblaze set a sticky waffle back onto his plate. The poor thing was practically drowning a lake of maple syrup. "Good question", he mused, and turned to peer at the absurdly long food line. "I think she's somewhere in there." Accepting the answer, I took another bite of eggs.

Only five minutes later, it happened. There was the tinkling sound of porcelain breaking, the sound of food meeting the floor, and a blood curdling screech that made my eardrums throb in pain. I slowly set my silverware down and turned to face the source of the noise.

There, standing in the front of the food line, were Cinderheart and Heathertail. The buxom blond was covered in some assortment of breakfast food. I watched as she picked a rasher of bacon out of the neckline of her top. I giggled, feeling a strange sense of deja vu.

Cinderheart bent to pick up the remains of her plate, and very deliberately righted her tray. "Sorry. My bad", she said, not sounding apologetic in the slightest, and stalked off. I saw the same maid from earlier hurry in to clean up the mess, and Cinderheart stopped to give the woman a sheepish apology. When she finally sat down at the table, the first thing she did was snatch a hashbrown off my plate.

"There was no way that was an accident", I remarked teasingly, settling myself protectively over my food. "It wasn't", the silverette informed us. She dunked the hashbrown in a bowl of seasoned ketchup and took a vicious bite. The poor potato cake didn't stand a chance.

"Why did you dump your plate on Heathertail?", Hazeltail asked seriously. Cinderheart glared. "She said some downright horrible things about you three." She nodded at the three siblings sitting at the table. "She called Hollyleaf a street whore and a whole bunch of other shit. I'm not even gonna say the things she said about you two." She gestured to Lionblaze and Jayfeather. Icecloud was cracking her knuckles. "Honestly, things like this make me want to beat her ass into the ground. She's an atrocious excuse for a human being."

The angry glares that were being nursed around the table died down after a little bit, and the tense aura was eased. After a little while, I pushed my empty plate in front of me and drained the remains of the hot chocolate. The rest of the table was finishing their food too, and apparently, so was the rest of the school. The wait staff was coming around to pick up the plates, and a tall, green eyed woman came by and gathered the plates off the table.

After the plates were more or less gone, Mistystar rose from her seat and called, "Good morning, warriors!" Her voice, unfortunately, was too quiet to be heard over the chatter, and the commotion continued. She opened her mouth to try again, but this time, Blackstar rose and motioned for her to sit down. The River head did, looking disgruntled.

"SHUT IT, BRATS!", Blackstar bellowed across the Hall. Silence fell immediately. "Right!", he carried on. "Now that I have your attention, you might as well hear the assignments for the first block. For any idiots who forgot, that's from 8 to 12. Thunder and Wind will be going into the forest to take a class on edible plants. River and Shadow will be ziplining. We have lunch from 12:15 to 1. After lunch you will have 90 minutes of leisure time. You are expected in the courtyard at 3:30 SHARP for the second block which goes from 3:30 to 6:30. Thunder and Wind will be horseback riding. River and Shadow will be going on a hike. Dinner is from 6:45 to 7:30, after which you may return to your rooms. Lights out is at 10 pm, NO EXCEPTIONS."

Blackstar turned to glare at the boys at our table, especially our resident troublemaker. "Anyone caught outside after lights out, especially ON THE ROOF will be severely punished. FOXLEAP." There was giggling among the students, before a glower from Blackstar quickly quieted everyone again.

"As you all know, tomorrow is our full day here before we go back to school." There were several small noises of disappointment, to which Blackstar snapped, "Yes, yes, it's all very sad", in the least sad tone possible. "Meaning the annual Mountain Festival is tomorrow. Bring a date. Or come by yourself if no one wants to go with you." Mistystar gave him a sharp kick under the table."OW! I mean- if you would prefer to go alone."

Hollyleaf formed a heart with her hands and started making cooing noises in the direction of the two heads, who were glaring at each other. Blackstar spun around. "Any questions?", he barked.

A weedy looking freshman's hand went up. "W-what block is f-fir-"

"I'm sorry!", Blackstar interrupted. "I meant, any INTELLIGENT questions?" All hands immediately went down. Blackstar grinned. "Dismissed!"

…

 **Icecloud's POV:**

The edible plants class wasn't nearly as boring as I thought it would be. It was taught by Yellowfang, which automatically made the entire class entertaining. Every time someone made a stupid or snarky comment (which was more often than one would think) the sharp tongued doctor always had a scalding comeback ready.

It wasn't surprising in the slightest. Yellowfang, along with her partner Littlecloud might not have been teachers, but they were in charge of the hospital wing and therefore had plenty of experience dealing with bratty teens. They were also in charge of all the other medics as well.

The person who enjoyed the class the most however, was probably Jayfeather. Not only was he smarter in terms of herbs than everyone else (with the exception of Kestrelflight), but he was the only person who could match Yellowfang in terms of sarcasm.

When we got back to the hotel, Yellowfang and Jayfeather were engaged in a full-on verbal sparring match. Jayfeather is probably the only person in the entire school who could get away with talking back to Yellowfang. Even the heads don't dare to make a pass at her, let alone other students. Yellowfang had the uncanny ability of being able to reduce practically anyone to tears.

Lunch was more or less uneventful, with the exception of Heathertail shooting poisonous glares across the room at us. Cinderheart took it with grace, and pointedly turned her head whenever Heathertail attempted to make eye contact. It was obviously pissing the blond off, because her facial expressions became more and more contorted with fury every time Cinderheart turned away.

The silverette was smirking as Onestar excused us for leisure time.

…

"...guys?"

No response.

"Guys it's 3:30. We should be at the courtyard right now."

Phones clattered to the floor as everyone bolted upright. "Shit", Hollyleaf groaned. "Who's supervising our group?"

"Blackstar."

"Double shit."

…

"I can't believe this."

"Me neither."

I lowered the pitchfork, mopping my forehead, and then immediately recoiled because my hand smelled like poop. Yes. Poop.

"I can't believe he's making us muck out the horse stalls", Hazeltail grumbled. Hazeltail and I were currently on our second stall, and were busy dividing the clean straw from the gross straw. Across the aisle, Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves were carrying away a stinky mound of straw.

We had split up the speed up the process a bit, but it was still slow going. Blackstar would occasionally pop in to check on our progress, and then went back outside to supervise the people who were actually getting to ride. It took a good thirty minutes for the eleven of us to finish the mucking. When we emerged from the stables, all of us were grumpy, disheveled, and smelled like horse dung.

"The second we get back, I'm locking myself in the shower and never getting out", Hazeltail muttered, sniffing her clothes.

…

Unlike some of the other activities, we weren't riding at the hotel (they didn't have horses, for one thing). We had been taken to an actual stable for actual riders. With no nonsense teachers. We weren't actually getting to ride around the grounds or the trails or anything. Instead we were riding around a smaller enclosure, strictly supervised by the senior riders.

And I could see why. Many of the students were hilariously bad riders. The exception to this was Heathertail, who finessed her way through the course and was now allowed to go with the more experienced riders.

Heathertail's cronies looked so hilariously salty, I couldn't help but start laughing, and in an extreme fit of giggles slid backwards off my horse's back. I continued laughing, rubbing my sore behind, and waved over to one of the supervisors to let her know I was okay.

Toadstep gracefully dismounted next to me, and extended an arm to help me up. "You suck at this, ya know?"

 **End Chapter 43**

 **I don't know about you guys, but I adore having hot chocolate for breakfast. ::sips cocoa:: Fight me on this.**

 **It was kind of a filler-y chapter, I know. But I don't want this trip thing to seem rushed. I don't want it to be like "oh they arrive" and like 5 chapters later it's like "okay it's over now". I do still have a few things planned, but if this arc feels like it's taking too long, tell me. Please.**

 **Also I couldn't think of a decent way to end this chapter. ::bows:: Apologies.**

 **Reviews please? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	44. The Festival

**Hexagon**

Chapter 44: The Festival

 **Why do I bother writing the chapter title under my story title when it already shows up at the top of the page? Why do I write my story title when everybody already knows what the story is called?**

 **Like I know I'm wasting my time but I do it anyway.**

 **::shrug::**

 **Enough of my ramblings. Thank you to the following people for their reviews:**

 **-hello**

 **-BiblicalEnthusiast**

 **-Mad Hat Dragon**

 **-Mapledusk**

 **-Tigercry**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan (x2)**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-Ellabellu (x3)**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **I also apologize that this chapter is so late today. My family doesn't seem to think that updating a fanfic is a valid excuse for staying home. Despite that, thank you all! On with the fic!**

 **Honeyfern's POV:**

"Honeyfern!", Hazeltail called from the bathroom. "Have you seen my hair straightener?" I set down my foundation and took a moment to peer around the hotel room. Hazeltail's hair straightener (or flat iron) was sitting innocently behind a pile of clothing.

"It's on Icecloud's bed", I called back. Hazeltail hurried out of the bathroom, her curly hair bouncing behind her. "Thanks", the girl in question said as she seized the iron off the bed and quickly hurried back into the bathroom. "I don't know why you bother", I said to Hazeltail as I started blending the foundation into my face. "Your hair looks nice curly too."

"Thanks", the brunette said absentmindedly as she waited for the flat iron to warm up. "I wanted to try a new look and now seemed like a good time." I leaned close to her, waggling my eyebrows. "Are you SURE you're not doing it for Foxleap?" Hazeltail turned to face me. "Are you SURE you want to piss off someone holding a 350 degree iron?"

"Fair point."

"Thought so."

Reaching into my my makeup bag, I pulled out a container of setting powder and began dusting it over my skin. I took the moment to peer around the room, where the other girls were getting ready too. Icecloud hadn't bothered to do anything more than put on some lip gloss, and was already in her dress. The blond was wearing a cute ice-blue dress with white designs. A white bow was tied around her waist.

I was applying bronzer and highlighter to my face when Hazeltail stepped out of the bathroom. Her chestnut hair, which is usually in tight curls, was now silky smooth. The brunette was dressed in a strapless yellow dress with a white floral pattern. There were golden armbands around her biceps. A pair of golden gladiator sandals completed her look.

Hollyleaf was dressed in a wine red dress with flowy sleeves and a layered skirt. A ribbon belt with artificial white flowers was cinched around her waist. A matching flower crown stood out against her dark hair. Cinderheart, who was standing next to her, was wearing a sleeveless light blue dress with a golden belt and a slit up the side. Her outfit was embellished with pink flowers, and her silver hair framed her face in light waves.

In that moment, I finished my eye makeup, and stepped back to admire the look in the large floor length mirror. I was wearing a sky blue cropped v-neck with white floral designs, and a white skirt with a blue hem. My blond hair was in two matching French braids.

Hazeltail grinned exuberantly. "Let's hit that festival!", she cheered, lifting a fist into the air. We poured out onto the hotel hall, where the guys were waiting impatiently. Foxleap looked us over. "How long does it take to put on a dress?", he asked. Icecloud rapped him on the head in typical older sister fashion. "And how long does it take to pick out a clean shirt?"

The redhead rolled his eyes and rubbed the stain out of his shirt, but looked at his older sister affectionately. He then sauntered up to Hazeltail and bowed, holding out his arm. The brunette suppressed a giggle and took his hand. Behind them, Berrynose mimed throwing up.

"I hope you don't expect me to start bowing", he said to me. I scoffed. "Relax, I don't really care. Let's go, we're going to get left behind." The floors reserved for Hexagon were more or less empty at this point, since most of the students had already gone to the festival.

Outside, the dismal weather from the last few days was practically a distant memory. The sky was a clear blue, sunlight pouring down and making the entire landscape seem alive. As we walked down the cobbled path, I caught a very familiar flash of red hair out of the corner of my eye. I peered around. It wasn't Foxleap, he was still busy flirting with Hazeltail. Beside him, the only person in our group with somewhat reddish hair was Lionblaze, and he was walking ahead of us with Cinderheart. I frowned, and looked around in the trees.

I caught the flash of red hair again, as well as a glimpse of pale freckled skin. _Poppyfrost?_ I thought to myself. _What's she doing in the trees? Is she hiding? If so, what or who from?_ I looked up at the windows of the hotel, and in one of the upper stories, saw someone standing at the window. _Is that….Dovewing?_

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

Can I be the first to say that Cinderheart looks _damn good?_ Because she does. She was wearing a gold trimmed blue dress with a slit up the left side. There was a golden belt cinching around her waist, and the dress was embellished with pink flowers. I actually felt underdressed in my blue button-down, which is new since believe it or not, I actually made an effort to look nice for the festival, which is more than I can say on a usual day.

We followed the path up a little hill, and ended up coming into a small valley, which was filled with festival goers. There were all these stalls for games and yet other stalls where vendors stood, advertising their products. The people from the nearby towns had come to the festival, some to sell their wares, others just looking for fun. In the middle of all this was a dance floor with a little stage in the middle, where several dancers were performing to upbeat music.

Cinderheart immediately hurried to a nearby cotton candy vender, and purchased one of the sugary treats. She was eating the pink fluff as we made our way through the crowd. I peered over to the dance floor, where Foxleap, Hazeltail, and several other goofballs were doing the macarena to electric slide music. The dancers who were still performing on the mini stage looked like they couldn't decide on whether to be angry or amused.

The morning quickly became afternoon, and the festivities, if anything, only became wilder. Last year, the festival went well into the night. After most of the children had been taken home, alcohol started coming into play and the dancing became less than innocent. Although the Hexagon students would very much have liked to stay, the teachers weren't having any of it and had us leave the second the first beer bottles had been whipped out.

We were already plotting on how to sneak back to the festival after the teachers dragged us off.

"Oh my StarClan, Lionblaze!", Cinderheart exclaimed, gesturing to a game stall. "Look!" There, dangling from the prize rack, were two giant stuffed cats. One of them was a smokey gray tabby she-cat with sky blue eyes. The other one was a golden brown tabby tom with amber eyes. "They're like a couple, that's adorable!"

I walked over the game stall and slammed a euro down on the table. The man behind the counter gave me a ping pong ball shooter, and pointed to the figurine in the back of the stall. "Knock that down to win", he informed me. He set his timer. "Go!"

The figurine in the back of the stall started moving back and forth, and I shot at it like a madman. "10 seconds", the man said drily. I fired the last few shots at the still moving figure. My last shot just grazed the top of it, but it didn't fall over. The clock ran out and I hadn't won anything. I was salty, but I didn't let it show on my face as I handed the ping pong ball shooter back to the man behind the counter.

Cinderheart cut me off as I was about to apologize. "It's fine Blaze, better luck next time." She smirked. "Now it's my turn." She handed the man a euro, and upon receiving the ping pong ball shooter, hit the figure within seconds of starting the game. The figure wobbled, but didn't fall. The silverette narrowed her eyes, lined up the shooter, and fired a ping pong ball directly into the wobbling figure's middle. The figurine toppled over and the man stopped the timer.

"Well done, young lady", he rumbled, gesturing to the prize rack. "Which one would you like?" She pointed to the golden brown tom. "That one, please." The man handed it to her, and she promptly passed it on to me. I stared. "Is this for me?", I asked. "Yep", Cinderheart said, putting another euro on the counter. She in turn was given a freshly loaded ping pong ball shooter.

It wasn't long before the man was getting the gray she cat down from the prize rack and giving it to her. My mouth was wide open. "Damn…"

…

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

The gray she cat plushie draped over my arm, I turned to face Lionblaze, who had his mouth wide open. He had a disbelieving expression of surprise on his face, which, dare I say it, was the teensiest bit adorable. "Damn…." , he said.

"I didn't hurt your manly pride or anything, did I?", I teased. "Haha, shut up", he retorted. "How did you do that, because it was epic." I shrugged. "My parents took us to a lot of carnivals and shit, so I got good at these kinds of games." Accepting the answer, Lionblaze turned and looked around. "I'm gonna go use the bathroom. Later!" With that, he turned and dashed off through the crowd.

I watched him disappear, and decided I would stay in the area for when he came back. I eyed the nearby stalls, and saw a somewhat secluded arts and crafts stall at the very end of the row. I made my way through the groups of people, and approached the stall. It was empty for the moment, but the counter was covered in all kinds of interesting knick knacks.

There were hand made dolls and wood carvings, mini baskets and little paintings. I dipped my hand into a large bowl of smooth rocks, the coolness feeling nice on my skin.

"Well, well, well", came an icy voice behind me. "Enjoying the festival?" I spun. It was Heathertail and her cronies. The busty blond looked maliciously happy as she strode toward me. "Having a good time, I trust?", she sneered. "Tell me, Cinderbitch, where's my boyfriend?" I felt something sizzle threateningly inside of me. "For the last time, Heathertail", I snapped. "Lionblaze broke up with you. He's my boyfriend now, not yours." Heathertail smirked. "Well, Cinderheart", she purred. "Have you heard of the Dark Forest?"

"Well, Heathertail", I said in an equally irritating voice. "Do you think I was born yesterday? Of course I know what the Dark Forest is. What are you getting at?" Heathertail looked slightly taken aback before her expression became steely cold. "Since you know so much", she said smoothly. "I'm sure you also know that Lionblaze is a member of the Dark Forest."

"Of co- wait, WHAT?", I asked. Heathertail smirked, looking happy at having found a weak spot. "Oh, didn't you know?", she simpered. "I thought the whole school knew by now. Lionblaze comes to the Dark Forest to see _me._ We never broke up. He's just using you, playing with your emotions." She sighed adoringly. "He always liked to do that." Nightcloud smiled. She looked like a grinning shark. "Did you honestly think that Lionblaze would ever be together with someone like _you"_ , the ravenette said condescendingly. "How stupid."

Dawnpelt chimed into the conversation, her painted lips twisting into a sneer. "To him, you're nothing. Once he gets into your pants, he'll drop you like the worthless shit you are and get back together with Heathertail." I noticed that Sunstrike stayed silent. She was looking at the ground, shame written across her features. Unlike her, the others went on. "You're deluding yourself if you ever think that you'll ever mean something to Lionblaze." "I bet the stupid little bitch even developed _feelings_ for him." "Completely moronic." I clenched my fists. "...nothing…" "...whore….." "..dumb bitch….."

Something inside me just _snapped._ All the fury, anger, and resentment I had been suppressing burst free, and feeling stronger than I ever had, I charged at Heathertail. My fist collided with her face, my other hand came up to pull at her hair. One of her giant hoop earrings was ripped out, blood starting to run down the side of her face. Heathertail roared in fury, tackling me down to the ground. She was a skilled fighter, but I had more physical strength. I flipped us over so I was on top, and my fists pummelled Heathertail's upper body.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her friends just watching, in shock. Heathertail ripped at my hair as she struggled, her nails raking down the side of my face. In retaliation, I punched her again. Heathertail's legs came up, her knees colliding hard with my spine, and I gasped in pain. The busty blond flipped me off of her, and I saw her reaching for something out of sight.

She was pulling a jet black _whip_ out from under her voluminous dress. I could faintly see the symbol of the Dark Forest on the handle, the silhouette of a snarling cat. Terror unlike anything I had ever felt before rushed through my veins, and I struggled even harder, but Heathertail had me pinned down. She raised the weapon behind her. And with a violent swishing motion, it came down, whistling as it broke the sound barrier. I screwed my eyes shut, waiting for the blow. But it never came.

There was a short gasp of pain, and I opened my eyes. It was Lionblaze, standing above me, the whip in his hand, wrapping around his arm. There was a bloody gash where the weapon had struck. I saw a flash of light blond hair, and Ivypool of all people was attacking Heathertail, wrestling her to the ground, yanking the whip out of her hand and tossing it aside. Heathertail's cronies tried to flee the scene, but were blocked by the rest of our group. Icecloud had seized Dawnpelt by the collar of her shirt, and _Sunstrike_ of all people had Nightcloud pinned to the ground.

The teachers were rushing over, looking horrified. It was finally over.

…

 **Heathertail's POV:**

"Miss Heathertail, I can tell you right now that you're not doing yourself any favors. I'm going to ask you again. How did you get possession of this weapon? Who gave it to you?", Firestar said sharply. My whip was sitting innocently on his desk, blood staining its tail. I looked at it, longing for it to be back at my waist, where it belonged. I looked up at Firestar, smiling sweetly. "And I'm going to tell you one more time, _Professor._ I'm not telling you anything."

Firestar sighed, rubbing his temples. I took satisfaction in knowing he was stressed. The red haired teacher looked at me. "You give me no choice, Miss Heathertail. I hereby sentence you to the Dark Sector."

 **End Chapter 44**

 **Well, THAT was an action packed chapter, which I very much enjoyed writing. Special thanks to Tigercry for her review suggesting the fight between Cinderheart and Heathertail. It helped me out a lot.**

 **Also I wanted to name this chapter "Bloody Festival" but that kind of spoiled the chapter. Plus it sounded too morbid.**

 **In case you didn't catch it, the two cats Cinderheart wins are Lionblaze and Cinderheart's cat counterparts :)**

 **Reviews, plz? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	45. It Comes Together

**Hexagon**

Chapter 45: It Comes Together

 **I just got to watch my school's varsity soccer team get their asses kicked. I believe the end score was 14:2? I stopped counting after goal number 6. Anyway, enough of that. Thank you to the following fabulous people for reviewing:**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-BiblicalEnthusiast**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Tigercry**

 **-Swimmer**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Ellabellu**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **::bow:: Thank you all so much! Anyway, on with the fic!**

 **Jayfeather's POV:**

"Oh, honey, are you sure you're alright? I can't believe that awful girl would do something like this!", Leafpool wailed. I snickered under my breath. She was cleaning the gash on Lionblaze's hand, and I almost felt bad for my brother as the medic fussed excessively over him. Almost. "Absolutely horrible, I tell you! I knew there was something wrong with her when I first saw her, but this, oh my, oh my!"

I heard the pop of a lid as Leafpool opened a container of antibiotic ointment. The sharp smell of it hit me like a bus, the odor almost burning the inside of my nose. There were several quiet noises as Leafpool began applying the ointment to the whip wound, and I heard Lionblaze hiss in pain as it made contact with the raw flesh. I winced on his behalf. I could imagine what his hand must look like, my mind conjuring an image of bleeding, angry red flesh.

"Do tell me if you need anything, sweetheart. I understand that this experience must be very traumatizing for you and your little girlfriend." Leafpool finished bandaging his hand, and then shooed us out of her office.

Now that we were out of her office, I couldn't help but laugh as Lionblaze huffed, disgruntled. "Oh sweetie-pie!", I crooned at him. "You and your little girlfriend must be traumatized!" There was the _swish_ of fabric as my brother shoved his uninjured hand into his pocket. "Hilarious. You wouldn't be laughing if she was fussing over you."

I stopped laughing, and seized my brother's wrist in a tight hold. I dragged him into a nearby deserted lounge room. "Alright", I said sharply. "What actually happened? I know you didn't tell Leafpool the whole story. Spill." I was still gripping Lionblaze's wrist, and I felt his pulse start to speed up. He was nervous.

"What do you mean?", he asked evasively. "I told her everything."

I fixed him with a glare. "No. No you didn't. You told her that Cinderheart and Heathertail fought and that you got between them." I heard the sound of bandages rubbing together as my brother wrung his hands. "Well…", he began, his voice trailing off. "That is what happened, isn't it?"

I seized his shoulders, and resisted the urge to shake the answers out of my stubborn brother. "We both know there's more to the story than that! Heathertail's cunning, she knows better than to throw the first punch. She must have provoked Cinderheart into attacking her. But with WHAT? It takes forever to piss her off, whatever Heathertail said must have been absolutely vicious."

I let go of Lionblaze's muscular shoulders. "She knows, doesn't she? Cinderheart, I mean?" Lionblaze nodded numbly. I sat back in one of the chairs, running my hand through my hair. "Oh, _shit."_

"Yeah", he muttered. "Fantastic, isn't it?"

"I think it's better if you come clean. Tell her the truth about the Dark Forest." I stood up, and made my way to the door. "Good luck."

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

Jayfeather turned and walked off into the crowded hall, the blue streak in his dark hair standing out from even this far away. I retreated back into the empty lounge, locking the door behind me. The lounge room had large windows with cream colored curtains and a hardwood paneled floor which was covered in soft, fleecy rugs. I sank into one of the cream colored armchairs, finally releasing the breath I had been holding.

My heart was pounding so violently I was surprised it didn't burst out of my chest right then and there. I pressed my eyes shut, trying to think, but all I could hear were Jayfeather's sharp words echoing in my mind. I inhaled deeply, held it, and exhaled again. Repeat. I sighed. Repeat. My pulse was starting to return to normal, and I no longer felt as if my heart was trying to jump out of my body. Repeat. I slowly opened my eyes. Repeat.

The truth about Heathertail was out now. The whole school was in an uproar, the news of Heathertail's exile to the Dark sector now being well known among the students. Hexagon's Queen Bee, now in utter disgrace?

It appeared that way. The truth, however, was a whole lot uglier. If anything, Heathertail had become even more powerful than she had been before her exile. I had no doubt that Heathertail, who had been notorious before, had now joined Brokenstar's highest ranks.

I inhaled again. It was ironic. The idea of Heathertail locked up in the Dark sector scared me more than the idea of her having free reign. Now that she was exiled, she had direct contact with Brokenstar himself. I supposed that she was locked up, but….I knew from personal experiences that the light barriers were anything but secure.

Exhale. And then there was the whole situation with Cinderheart. She knew now. She knew I was one of Brokenstar's puppets, soldiers, servants, whatever. Did she believe what Heathertail had told her? I leaned down, gripping my head in my hands, my fingers tugging at my hair. What did she think of me? How did I get myself into this mess?

…

 **Firestar's POV:**

"I don't want to hear it." With that, Bluestar strode off down the hallway. "There is much to be done. The students have to pack, the Teleportix needs to charge to transport everyone back, we still have to pay the hotel….I don't have time for this."

Heathertail's bloodstained whip had been carefully set into a sterile case, which I was carrying. I ran after my boss, clutching the case. "Bluestar!", I called, but the blue haired woman didn't turn, just stalked down the hallway. "Please! See reason. The symbol on here, I've seen it before." I paused and kept talking. "The teachers suspect that the Dark sector is a rallying point for students who feel used or mistreated. I've seen this symbol on the clothing or belongings of students who sympathize with Dark sector members." She turned, her sapphire eyes glinting dangerously. "Firestar", she growled. "I have my reasons. You are not to question them."

"THEY'RE BUILDING AN ARMY!" I was breathing heavily, my yell still echoing around the deserted hall. Bluestar just kept walking. "And it's your job to take care of it." With that sense of finality to her words, the blue haired woman turned a corner in the hall and disappeared from sight.

…

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

I ran, the cold air biting at my exposed arms. My nose burned from the icy breeze. The park around the hotel was well illuminated, glowing street lanterns fighting the dark that had set in. It wasn't technically lights out yet, so there were still several other students outside. I passed a kissing couple on a bench and a few friend groups which were chatting and laughing. Aside from that, the park was more or less empty, which I was grateful for. I needed to be alone.

My running shoes crunched as they stepped over gravel, and after a few more minutes of jogging, I had followed the trail into a more deserted area of the park near the back of the hotel. I kept running, following the light of the lanterns. A decorative water feature emerged out of the dark. It was a small waterfall, the water cascading down rocks from a little pool above. I slid onto one of the rocks by the waterfall, and let my thoughts wander.

I didn't know what to think. It was Heathertail, I had no reason to believe a single word out of her filthy lying mouth. Even though I knew better to believe anything she said, there was a feeling, deep in my gut, that there was a little truth to her words. What she had said about Lionblaze dating her in secret I dismissed. That, I was sure had been bullshit. But what she had said about him corresponding with the Dark Forest….that matched up.

The injuries he kept showing up with, the dazed eyes from lack of sleep, the shared glances with other students who he usually had nothing to do with….

I visited Jayfeather's and Lionblaze's shared dorm sometimes, and more often than not, his bed was unslept in. I had seen blood stained bandages in the garbage multiple times. He had claimed he was rather clumsy and got injured a lot, but now it was all coming together….

My boyfriend is a member of the Dark Forest.

Well fuck.

 **End Chapter 45**

 **The ending is a little rushed because I'm leaving in a few minutes, so I'm making it short. Reviews, plz? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	46. The Meeting in the Fog

**Hexagon**

Chapter 46: The Meeting in the Fog

 **By the time this chapter is uploaded, I will be a whole year older. By that I mean my birthday happens to fall onto an update day. I also wanted to let you guys know that the next update might take a while. I'm currently in the process of moving across the country, which means I'm going to have to go without my laptop….for however long it takes them to ship my stuff. It might be relatively fast, it might take a little longer. Bear with me, okay?**

 **Anyway, thank you to the following people for reviewing:**

 **-Tigercry (x2)**

 **-hello**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-Briarfeather4fun**

 **-Duskwhisper**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Briarlight's POV:**

Bluestar stormed off down the hall, her blackish blue ponytail swishing angrily behind her. Firestar looked like he had just been kicked in the stomach. The case containing Heathertail's whip was lowered to the ground, and the normally stern but cheerful head sunk down to the floor. The redhead leaned against the wall, eyes closed, fists clenched. He was mumbling what sounded like a prayer to the Stars.

I felt a surge of sympathy for the man. He dealt with so much of this bullshit, but he braved right through all of it. Despite the work that got dumped on him on a regular basis, I had never seen Firestar utter a peep of complaint. But now…..silent sobs racked his body, and he buried his head in his arms. Everyone has a breaking point. I think Firestar just reached his.

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

"How is she?", I asked quietly. Hollyleaf turned away, tucking an inky strand of dark hair behind one ear. "Bad", she whispered. "She got lucky. She was up against one of the strongest fighters in the Dark Forest, with literally no training at all. It could have been much, much, worse." My raven haired sister stepped aside. "Well, there's no use waiting in the hall, I suppose. Go in. She needs you."

Hollyleaf inserted her key card into the slit in the door, and there was the click of a lock sliding back. She pushed the door open the tiniest bit, then turned and walked off down the hall, her black hair swishing behind her.

I stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind me. The curtains were drawn, the room dim. The silverette was curled in on herself in an armchair. Her sapphire eyes flicked up when she heard me enter, then lowered again. The left side of her face was covered in bandages, but the scratches and nail marks were clearly visible. Her blue tank top had ridden up, revealing still more bandages wrapped around her middle where her rib had been broken. Purple-blue bruising covered her knuckles and fingers. But what really set me were the bruises on her arms and stomach, the grisly reminders of where Heathertail's fists had struck.

I swallowed hard. This picture...of a mere fifteen year old, bruised and bloodied, was nothing new to me. I saw it almost daily, when the battered shells of students dragged themselves back from a grueling night in the Dark sector. But this? This was just wrong.

The marks of violence have no place on Cinderheart's body. None whatsoever. The silverette unfurled herself from the protective ball she had curled into to meet my eyes. She was in pain, made obvious by her jerky movements and the way she would freeze up when something hurt. She had it so much worse than I did. My body was accustomed to fighting, my skin tougher and bones more resilient, but Cinderheart was a different story altogether. She's strong, yes. She can run like the wind and takes on opposing players without hesitation, but against Heathertail's merciless fists? That may as well have been nothing.

"How's your hand?", she rasped. I looked down at my hand, where the bandages were wrapped snugly around my fingers. "It's been better", I joked lamely, but Cinderheart smiled. I think she appreciated the attempt to lighten the dreary mood. I took a seat next to her in the armchair, my body nestled against hers. She took my hand and played gently with the bandaged fingers.

"You didn't have to, you know", came her croaky voice. "Take this hit for me."

I felt a pang go through my chest, and I wrapped her in a bear hug, as tightly as I could without upsetting her broken rib. "I'm sorry", I said, my voice wavering. "I'm so, so sorry. You don't deserve this. This is my fault." I felt something warm and salty start to trickle down my cheek, but I wiped it away. Cinderheart just held on to me, burying her face in my chest. "Is is true?", she asked, her voice muffled from my shirt. "What Heathertail said, is it true?"

I nodded numbly, holding her tight. And this time, I let myself cry.

…

 **Briarlight's POV:**

I was sitting in Jayfeather's hotel room several hours later, the other members of the group gathered around the bed. The lights in the room were very dim, and the others were speaking in hushed tones. It was past lights out, meaning that we were all supposed to be in our individual rooms, fast asleep. Of course, this rule was blatantly disregarded and meetings like this one were happening all over the hotel. This, however only encouraged the teachers, who were from going from door to door, listening for talking.

Cinderheart had bandages wrapped around the side of her face and in other areas where she had been injured. Thankfully, the silverette had only gotten in minor trouble for starting the fight, seeing as Heathertail had been the one to bring lethal weapons into the game.

Lionblaze had his arm wrapped wrapped protectively around his girlfriend. I noticed she had his injured hand sitting in her lap, and internally cooed from the adorable display. I was slightly envious of Cinderheart. She had gotten her man, where I was still chasing after mine. And what little good it did me. Even with mine and Half Moon's individual efforts, Jayfeather had decided to go by himself. I think he got a little sick of constantly being pursued by two girls at the same time.

Half Moon had been crushed. She had been under the impression, that after going to the dance with the blind medicine trainee, that they were a couple. I felt horrible for her when she had been informed otherwise. She might be my "rival in love" but she's still my best friend, and I don't want her heart to get broken.

Berrynose sat up from where he was sprawled on the floor. "What did you want to ask about, Briarlight?", he asked. I shuffled my feet on the floor. "Well...I haven't been here as long as some of you have...and I had a few questions…" I took a deep breath. "..about Brokenstar."

The rest of the students exchanged glances. Then Cinderheart, who was even newer than I was, spoke up. "That's something I've been wanting to ask about, too." I smiled at her, glad to have the silverette's support. "How exactly did Brokenstar get exiled? And more importantly, WHY WON'T BLUESTAR ACKNOWLEDGE THE DARK FOREST?!" The others were silent, and eventually, Fallen Leaves spoke up.

"The fight between the leaders happened a few years ago, when I was a Hexagon freshman. There were five student sectors at the time. Thunder, Wind, River, Shadow, and Cloud. You can obviously tell which one no longer exists." There were nods from around the circle, and Fallen Leaves continued on.

"Brokenstar headed the Cloud sector at the time, but as this kind of story typically goes, having control over only one of the sectors wasn't enough for him. He wanted to be headmaster. He thought that Bluestar was tarnishing Hexagon's reputation by taking in any "peasant". If it had been up to him, this school would have been a private playground for aristocratic children. There's no denying that the majority of students here come from very wealthy families, but Cinderheart's here isn't she? Foxleap, Icecloud, the list goes on. All of them wouldn't have gotten past the application stage."

"Bluestar obviously turned him down. So he turned to trying to persuade the other heads instead. The first sector he went after was the Wind sector, which was seen as being "weak" at the time. He tried to convince Tallstar to hand the Wind sector over to him, but Tallstar refused."

Hollyleaf raised an eyebrow. "Who is Tallstar?"

"He was the Wind head before you guys came to Hexagon. Anyway. Brokenstar tried to get him to hand the Wind sector over, and when Tallstar refused, Brokenstar harassed him to the point where Tallstar actually _quit._ That's why Onestar is the head now, not Tallstar. The whole thing ultimately backfired massively on Brokenstar, because Bluestar got so angry that she dissolved the Cloud sector."

The rest of us looked at each other, then back at Fallen Leaves, willing him to carry on. "This is where shit gets twisted. Brokenstar became furious. Furious to the point that he sent Tigerclaw (star now), who is one of his little henchmen to _assassinate_ Bluestar."

Foxleap put up his hands. "Woah. Wait. He tried to _kill_ her? Just because she refused to let him control Hexagon?"

Fallen Leaves shrugged. "Told you that shit got weird. After having an attempt made on her life, Bluestar hasn't been the same. Her mental health is starting to fall apart, she's making more and more reckless decisions….and that's why we're in the situation we're in. But there's another reason too." He took a deep breath. "Part of the reason Bluestar was so shaken after Brokenstar tried to kill her was...because they weren't just coworkers."

Hollyleaf raised her eyebrows. "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

"If by that you mean they were lovers, then yes."

Shocked silence.

"Hold up", Foxleap said, gagging. "You mean they were fucking? Ewwwwwwww. Not something I wanted to know."

Lionblaze shared his fellow redhead's opinion. "The last thing I want to know is who the Headmistress has had sex with." Hollyleaf's eyes were squeezed shut. "She's insane", the ravenette whispered.

"Maybe she is", Fallen Leaves responded. "But there's something you have to know."

Hollyleaf raised her eyes. "What?"

"I don't think that protecting the school's reputation is her only motive. I think, that deep down, a small part of her still cares for Brokenstar, and that she wants to keep him safe in some weird, twisted way."

Icecloud crossed her arms. "Twisted is right", she muttered. "She's putting the safety of her _ex fuck-buddy_ over that of every student at Hexagon. If that's not messed up, then I don't know what is."

…

 **Dovewing's POV:**

I hurried through the deserted park, making sure to avoid the light of the lanterns. It wouldn't do to have anyone see me from their window. I stayed as close to the side of the building as possible, but was forced to skirt around by another mini waterfall that bubbled cheerfully in the dark. As secretive as I was being, I wasn't about to risk the safety of my snakeskin covered platform pumps by wading through the water.

Then I caught sight of it. A white silk handkerchief was tied to a low tree branch.

I wove through the park, staying in the shadows until I reached the handkerchief, and carefully took it down. I stuffed the soft cloth into the pocket of my dark leather jacket, looked in every direction to make sure no one was looking, and slid into the woods. With my dark clothes and quiet movements, I had practically melted into the shadows.

It was cold. The treetops blocked out any moonlight that might have illuminated the night. A chilly wind whistled through the trees, and better yet, it began to get foggy. I searched through my handbag, and pulled out a small flashlight strung to my keyring. The weak beam didn't do much, but it made me feel better.

I walked for a few more minutes, and eventually came to a fogged over forest clearing. I sat on a rock and waited.

…

It didn't take long. A short figure emerged from the fog, dressed in dark clothes, her pale blond hair draped over one shoulder. Her calculating blue eyes gleamed menacingly.

"Dovewing", she said coldly.

"Minnowtail", I responded, my voice equally icy.

"It took you long enough to take the handkerchief down. I almost thought you had forgotten to signal us." I didn't grace her with a response, just curled my lip in contempt. She ignored the disrespectful gesture, and kept talking.

"Is she coming?", Minnowtail inquired. "She was your responsibility."

"I'm well aware of who's responsibility she was. I kept an eye on her while the others were going to the festival. She's been notified, I can promise you that."

Minnowtail waved her hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, I'm sure. It is a tragedy that Heathertail can no longer attend our meetings."

"Yes, I'm positively bawling my eyes out", I sneered. Minnowtail had always been disgustingly obsequious to Heathertail. She had held respect for her before, but after the Halloween dance disaster? She positively adored the bitchy blond. In that moment, a figure came stumbling out of the fog. She had long red hair, fair skin, and an overabundance of freckles. It was Poppyfrost.

"Ah, Poppyfrost. Glad you could make it", Minnowtail said contemptuously. "Took you long enough." The redhead dipped her head. "I'm sorry…", she whispered. "I didn't see that the handkerchief went down." Minnowtail sneered. "Typical. I have no idea what Ma'am sees in you. You're a newbie, and a pretty pathetic one at that."

I rolled my eyes. "Her name is _Mapleshade._ Not Ma'am. Or My Lady. Or anything of the sort."

"Sir Brokenstar demands that we treat his inner circle with respect." She got close to me, so we were nose to nose. "Besides, I'm higher ranking than you. I'm your superior, therefore you take my orders."

Although my pride was practically hissing and growling inside of me, I ignored it. I couldn't afford to upset the inner circle. With my pride snarling like a rabid beast, I dipped my head, a sign of obedience in the Dark Forest. Minnowtail looked pleased with herself.

"Are there any new orders from the Circle?"

Minnowtail's eyes hardened. "Any signs of rebellion are to be crushed using any means necessary."

I didn't notice Poppyfrost's flinch.

 **End Chapter 46**

 **The credit for the Cinderblaze scene this chapter goes to Tigercry. I read the new chapter of Conflict Resolution and the plot bunnies just came a-bouncing and I couldn't help myself.** **Thanks for letting me use it, Tigercry!**

 **The reason why Jayfeather isn't with anyone right now is because I can totally imagine him just getting fed up of all the social interaction and just going "fuck it I'm going alone".**

 **As to who he should be paired with...I'm leaning more toward Briarlight, just because that pairing makes more sense to me. But that is prone to change, soooooooo….leave your thoughts in the reviews. I'm curious to see who you guys would prefer to see him paired with.**

 **Reviews, plz? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	47. About Time, Too

**Hexagon**

Chapter 47: About Time, Too

 **Hey everyone, it's Azrakatz….coming at you from New fucking Jersey. Take me back to South California, it's too colddddddddddddd. Alright, I'm being pathetic. And if you live in New Jersey, I mean absolutely no offense, I'm just being a California pansy-ass. Anyway, thank you so much to the following people for reviewing:**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Biblical Enthusiast**

 **-Azure is Tired AF**

 **-Tigercry**

 **-Mapledusk**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-hello**

 **-Briarfeather4fun**

 **\- ravenclawjaguar (sorry, the Doc Manager wouldn't let me submit your proper name!)  
**

 **-Ellabellu**

 **First order of business:**

 **There was a question I should answer: Mistystar and Stonefeather are not related to Bluestar at all. That extends to the following: Poppyfrost and Honeyfern are sisters, but are not related to Cinderheart. Ivypool and Dovewing are fraternal twins. Icecloud and Foxleap are siblings. Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf are siblings, Jayfeather is adopted. A few ages for you guys:**

 **Cinderheart- 15, almost 16 (sophomore)**

 **Lionblaze- 16 (sophomore)**

 **Jayfeather- 16 (sophomore)**

 **Hollyleaf- 17 (sophomore)**

 **Fallen Leaves- 18 (junior)**

 **Ivypool- 17 (junior)**

 **Dovewing- 17 (junior)**

 **Heathertail- 17 (junior)**

 **Everyone else in the main group is a sophomore, 16 or almost 16. Cinderheart's the group baby tho. Why? Because I felt like it.**

 **I feel like I should put out another warning here. We're nearing the climax of this fic, meaning it's going to get more violent and things will start to go more toward the "Rated Mature" part of the spectrum. No worries, I won't be putting any smut in here or anything, but there could end up being some innuendos and adult references. But there will be blood. And character death. And some pretty nasty language. Just thought I'd warn you.**

 **Anyway, on with the fic!**

 **Half Moon's POV:**

"Alright, let's move this along!", Blackstar bellowed from the other end of the train platform. "We're holding up the other passengers!" I snorted, shouldering my duffel bag. I leaned over to Briarlight. "I like how he says that while standing in the middle of one of the doors." It was true. The dark haired, broad shouldered head was standing in the middle of one of the doorways. Several people were trying to squeeze past the hulking teacher, but were having no luck.

I was about to step into the train when Mistystar came over and pulled me aside. Briarlight looked at the bad tempered Shadow head, who was yelling at a freshman for not boarding fast enough, and waved an apologetic goodbye as she stepped onto the train.

"You're not in trouble or anything", Mistystar assured me, smiling, when she saw the look on my face. "I just wanted to inform you. Dovewing and Heathertail will be sitting with the teachers, under strict supervision. Since Dovewing was the only other member of your group, you're free to join any other groups. Although you should get on now, before Blackstar blows his top."

Thrilled by this news, I hurried onto the train, and was hit by a wave of warmth, a welcome change from the chill outside. The train's heaters were on full force. I hurried through the corridor, looking for the compartment Briarlight said she would be sitting in. _Compartment 46, Compartment 47, Compartment 48….here it is!_ I arrived at Compartment 49 and slid back the door.

"Yo, Briar, do you mind if I si-" I was cut off mid sentence by the scene in front of me. The compartment was _packed._ An extra group of boys had made themselves comfortable in the little room, and were sprawled out across the floor and sitting on armrests. Briarlight looked extremely bad tempered as she crouched in her seat.

"What happened?", I asked. "One of the other girls invited a bunch of boys to share our compartment", she groused out. One of them, a Shadow boy with expensive clothes and a bad haircut stuffed himself into her seat, squishing her into the armrest. She glared at him. "Can you _not?_ ", she snapped, shoving him off. "This is my seat."

"I was going to ask to sit here, but you guys obviously don't have enough space", I said. Briarlight shot me an apologetic look. "We really don't. If you're looking for someone to sit with, Hollyleaf and the others said they have a few seats open." I stood by the door. "What Compartment are they again?", I asked.

"71", the brunette informed me. "I'll see you later." She turned backwards and snapped. "For fuck's sake, this is my chair! Get off!" Giggling a bit, I left.

…

I settled myself into a seat in the blissfully less crowded Compartment 71. Fallen Leaves and Hollyleaf were sharing a seat, shoulders touching, sharing a pair of headphones. Berrynose and Honeyfern were playing War with with a deck of cards, the game becoming increasingly more competitive. The two were nose to nose, exchanging fierce glares as they slapped down card after card. Cinderheart and Lionblaze were sitting close, Lionblaze gazing absentmindedly at the landscape whooshing by outside, Cinderheart reading a book.

I had purposely chosen the seat next to Jayfeather, and inched a little closer to him. I think he noticed, but thankfully, he made no move to pull away. I felt a little bad, since I knew Briarlight liked him too, but as was once so excellently said: "all's fair in love and war".

In that moment, Bumblestripe broke the comfortable silence. "Are you coming back next year, Cinderheart?" Lionblaze jerked upright and stared at the silverette. She laughed and pushed him back into a lying position. "Chill Blaze, I'm coming back." Foxleap reclined in his seat. "That's good", he remarked. "You missed out on a lot this year."

She blinked. "What do you mean?" I chose to answer her. "You can thank BloodClan for that", I informed her. "They started going on the Spring Fling trip too. As a matter of fact, they completely booked out the hotel all throughout March and April. It's absurd." Hazeltail filled in from there. "So, in order to let everyone go on the trip, they had to move the whole thing like 2 months back."

The silverette stared. "I didn't notice anything", she informed us, surprised.

"You didn't find it weird at all that something called the SPRING Fling was being held in early February?" Cinderheart shrugged. "My family lives on the California-Arizona border. We don't really have seasons, it's just the 'Super Hot Season' and the 'Not Quite As Hot Season'. So it didn't really faze me all that much." The other's rolled with it. "Anyway", Icecloud said, yawning. "Since the year schedule got all fucked up, the teachers had to spend literally all of December planning the trip."

I leaned to the side, cracking my back in the seat. "The Winter Holidays are usually a huge deal at Hexagon, but since the teachers were so busy planning, the Holidays kind of got shoved under the rug this year." I looked at her weird. "You didn't notice any of this?" Cinderheart reclined so she was sprawled across Lionblaze. The strawberry blond protested half heartedly, but made no move to kick her off. "I was still recovering from breaking my ankle and having glass put in my shoes, so excuse me for not noticing everything around Hexagon", Cinderheart responded sarcastically.

I put up my arms, laughing. "All right, that's fair." I didn't say much else about Cinderheart's apparent lack of observant qualities, because I couldn't really blame her. There had been so much going on, with the student attacks and Beetlewhisker's murder, that no one really had time to care about something as trivial as schedule changes.

Since Heathertail and Dovewing were being babysat by the teachers, the return trip to Frankfurt was uneventful. I must admit, the lack of chaos was actually quite refreshing in a way. Tiredness overtook me, along with a sudden feeling of daring. I inched over to Jayfeather's seat, snuggled into his side, and closed my eyes.

…

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

"Out of all the bad ideas you've had, this is by far your worst bad idea", Lionblaze hissed. "I second that notion. We are going to get kicked off the train", Honeyfern tried to reason with her boyfriend. "Hey! BERRYNOSE! Are you even listening?"

Foxleap who was standing behind Lionblaze proclaimed, "Well, I for one think this is a fantastic idea." I cringed. "Somehow I don't find that reassuring at all." There were five people in the group. Me and Lionblaze, Honeyfern and Berrynose, and Foxleap, who had come for shits and giggles.

I looked around nervously, shifting the bandages on my arm uneasily. "They're right, Berrynose. We'll get in so much trouble if we're caught." He just grinned brazenly, turned back to the door, and resumed trying to pick the lock. "Berrynose, you fucking idiot, what part of BAD IDEA is so hard for you to understand?", Lionblaze hissed at him, shaking his shoulder in his frustration. In that moment, Berrynose succeeded in picking the lock, and the door swung open.

The chestnut haired youth stepped inside and motioned for us to follow him. Foxleap did eagerly, but the rest of us recoiled. Finally, Lionblaze groaned comically and made his way to the door, casting me an apologetic look. "Sorry, but I don't let my best friends do stupid shit alone." With that, he was gone.

Honeyfern and I exchanged exasperated glances. "Oh well", she muttered. "I guess we don't really have much of a choice now." I pushed open the door. "I swear to StarClan, _boys",_ I groaned. "Morons."

The door swung shut behind us, and we found ourselves in the cab of the train. To my surprise, the cab was completely empty. It must have shown on my face, because Berrynose said, "There are two cabs on the train, one on each end. Only the one on the front is occupied at a time. Once we reach the last station, the driver will switch to this cab and reverse directions." Honeyfern glared. "We could still get in a lot of trouble for being here, even if it is completely empty."

"But look how cool it is!", Foxleap gaped. And he was right. Sprawled out in front of us was a control board, covered in blinking lights and buttons, curved to fit the shape of the train. A swivel chair sat in front of the controls, bolted down to the floor. A large, circular window spanned across the wall, revealing the landscape speeding by outside. The others gathered around the window, laughing and talking, pointing things out as they zoomed by.

It was a spectacular view. Trees came and went, a lake disappeared behind a bend. We passed towns and villages, bits of farmland here and there. I was a city dweller myself, and had lived in Xylina my whole life up to this point. Seeing things I had only ever seen in picture books and movies in person was an indescribable feeling. I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders. Lionblaze.

"Pretty cool, huh?", he asked. Knowing Lionblaze, he had probably seen this all before. Most likely from the window of a private jet.

I brushed a silver bang out of my eyes. "It's incredible", I responded. "I've never seen anything like this befo-OH MY STARS IS THAT A COW?" Lionblaze blinked. "...yes?"

"I've never seen one before! That's so cool! Do they just run around like that?" Mouth open, I stared, one hand resting lightly on the window.

I swear, it came out of nowhere. One second, I was fangirling over cows, the next a pair of lips was pressed onto my own. It was warm and wet, making electricity crackle in my blood and heat wash through my body. I tried, clumsily, to match Lionblaze's skilled movements, but it didn't really seem to bother him. When the kiss was broken what seemed like hours later, he was smiling. "You know, you should really think twice about making a face that cute. Someone might just kiss you."

Silence in the cab. Then: "Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!" I spun. The rest of the group was huddled around Foxleap, who was brandishing his phone excitedly. "I got it on video!", he howled. Honeyfern was hanging over his shoulder, trying to snag his phone. "Post it! Post it on social media!", she was shrieking. "OH MY FUCKING STARS DON'T YOU DARE!", Lionblaze yelled, making a lunge for the phone, but Foxleap danced out of his reach. "Wait until the others see this!", the redhead was raving. "About time that happened!"

Just then, the door flew open. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

Shit.

 **End Chapter 47**

 **Thank you guys so much for bearing with me while I moved. I got my laptop back literally a day after update day, so I got it out today. The next update will be in two weeks, as usual.**

 **Also.**

 **About that scheduling thing.**

 **That was me trying to cover my ass because I messed up my own story timeline. ::bows:: Forgive me! If I ever do a rewrite of this story, that's going to be the first thing that gets patched.**

 **I don't know if that whole train cab being empty thing is true. I just put that in to make the story work. My grandfather is a former train driver, so he pulled some strings and my brother and I got to ride in the cab of and ICE (InterCity Express) At least, I believe that's what it was. It might have been another train? It was so long ago I don't really remember. It was pretty cool. That's what I based the cab bit on. Keep in mind that this was literally 10 years ago and my memory of the incident is a bit foggy so I apologize if the description is a bit off.**

 **Reviews plz? :3 Let me know what you thought of my excessively fluffy Cinderblaze kiss. I generally suck at writing romance so I'd like to know how I did.**

 **Azra out!**


	48. The Return

**Hexagon**

Chapter 48: The Return

 **Hi loves! Happy (late) Valentines Day! I don't really have much to ramble about today, so I'll make it short. Thank you to the following people for their lovely reviews:**

 **-Tigercry**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Biblical Enthusiast**

 **-ivane**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Ellabellu**

 **-hello**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **\- ravenclawjaguar**

 **-Briarfeather4fun**

 **-Star Speckled Sky**

 **-Guest**

 **-confetti-**

 **Special thanks to Watermist of ThunderClan for being my 400th reviewer!**

 **Once again, thank you all for your reviews. On with the fic!**

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

"So let me get this straight", I groused out, eyebrow twitching dangerously. "You made out in the train cab, screamed bloody murder over a video, and scared a passing conductor half to death?"

The disgraced group exchanged awkward glances. I smirked, fighting to keep a straight face. "Show me the video and all is forgiven." I watched, grinning, as Lionblaze's eyes widened with horror. "Oh my Stars", he groaned. "You too?" Cinderheart pointed at me in mock-betrayal. "I thought we were friends", she wailed dramatically. I just snickered, leaning over Foxleap's shoulder to look at his phone. In the video, Cinderheart was staring out of the window in awe. I watched as Lionblaze take a deep breath, trying to muster his courage, and then….

"Awwwwwww", I cooed. "So adorable!" Cinderheart looked away, smiling shyly. I turned to Lionblaze. "I saw that gropey thing you were doing. Slow down, I don't want to be an aunt just yet."

Lionblaze, who was helping himself to some of Foxleap's gummy worms, choked mid-chew, resulting in Berrynose having to pound his back until he could breathe again. Cinderheart, in contrast, had turned bright scarlet. I could have sworn I saw steam pouring out of her ears.

Everyone else in the compartment pretty much died laughing at the couple's expense. "Oh yeah?", Lionblaze retorted, having recovered from his choke attack. "Who was making out in a hole in the middle of the woods?" Fallen Leaves, who had more or less been ignoring the chaos until now, suddenly turned to me, waggling his eyebrows. The banter continued like this until Blackstar came stomping down the narrow train hallway.

"You do realize", he boomed. "That you're blocking the hallway. Get back to your compartments!" Since nobody wanted to anger the volatile Shadow head, we quickly made our way back to Compartment 71, still slinging light hearted insults at each other. Once back in the compartment, we discovered that the students who had stayed were engaged in a heated Uno match.

Ignoring the competitive arguing and the occasional yell of "Uno! Suck it, losers!", I settled myself into my seat, resting my head of Fallen Leaves shoulder. We stayed like this for a while, in comfortable silence. It wasn't until my legs had become numb that I uncurled myself. Fallen Leaves opened his eyes, looking at me. "Wha'tre ya doin'?", he slurred sleepily. "You can go back to sleep if you want", I said, stretching, causing my spine popped pleasantly after the hour or so of sitting still. "I'm just going to go on a short walk. Stretch my legs, ya know."

Fallen Leaves straightened up. "I'll come with you. We still have like an hour. Moving around a bit couldn't hurt."

After informing the others about what we were doing, we stepped out into the hall. "Where do you want to go?", I asked.

"Dining car?", he suggested, shrugging. "Sounds good to me." We walked side by side, my fingers laced through his, exchanging small talk. On our way to the dining car, we passed the teacher's compartment. It was a very large compartment, which despite having glass doors, had a curtain hung down the middle. On one side, the teachers were relaxing, talking, and snacking on some of the food from the dining car. On the other side of the curtain sat Dovewing and Heathertail, as well as Onestar, who was apparently on babysitting duty. Heathertail was restrained. Dovewing, who hadn't really done anything but "misbehave" was not.

Sandstorm spotted us, and stepped out of the compartment. She waved us in, grinning. Confused, we walked into the little room, and were greeted by the sight of teachers snickering in an oddly matchmaker-ish fashion. It wasn't long before I found out why.

Curled up in a seat, fast asleep were Mistystar and Blackstar. Blackstar's massive frame took up almost two seats, which sharply contrasted the lithe, silver haired form that was nestled into him. A cheshire cat grin spread over my face as I pulled out my phone and carefully snapped a picture of the scene. "Sweet revenge", I chuckled.

…

That little detour caused the trip to the dining car to last a lot longer than expected. Some forty five minutes later, Fallen Leaves and I were returning to the compartment, each munching on a pastry. The fierce Uno game had long since concluded, and the others were sprawled out in the compartment, doing nothing or talking about meaningless things.

I peered out the window. The country landscape, the fields and rivers and woods had morphed back into city. We passed tall apartment buildings and crowded streets, the buildings became steadily taller and more industrial. Smaller, quainter buildings became towering, glass plated skyscrapers as we neared the center of the city.

The train came to a smooth stop, and the standard automated female voice rang out through the cars. " _We have reached our final destination. All passengers, please leave the train. Make sure to check all seats and overhead compartments for personal belongings. We hope you have enjoyed your experience with the Heartfilia Railways and have a pleasant rest of your day. Thank you."_

It only took a few minutes for us to gather our belongings. We exited the compartment through a blissfully unlocked door, and made our way to the crowded platform. Once the teachers had done a thorough headcount, we left the station, and after a good twenty minutes were on the bus. Our destination: the Teleportix launchpad.

…

Getting Hexagon's many students to the top of one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city was, as always, a pain. The launchpad was located in a room at the top of the building. The lines of luggage laden students snaked out of the room, into the hallway, and even down the stairs. Our group, thankfully, had managed to score a position toward the front of the line.

The room that housed the Teleportix launchpad was large and square, with guards positioned at each one of the sides. The launchpad, a metallic tech set covered in beeping buttons and dials sat in the center of the room. With a sound of wheels being turned, a ceiling panel slid open, revealing the sky outside. There, a distant speck among the clouds, was Hexagon. I could barely make out each one of the sectors. Then, with an incredible hum, the azure beam shot out of the launchpad and into the sky, where it connected with what I assumed must be the Central Sector.

The humming was insanely loud. So loud, that I could actually feel the floor vibrating beneath my feet. I watched as the students in front of me stepped into the beam, their bodies seeming to dissolve into nothingness. Before long, Onestar was ushering us into the beam. "Quick, quick!", he was calling. "No dilly-dallying!"

I stepped into the beam, and was met with the familiar feeling of being doused in ice water. The world around me began to spin, and I felt my feet being slowly lifted off the ground. I seemed to be floating, experiencing weightlessness. The sensation of being in the Teleportix wasn't one I'd ever get used to.

It felt like hours later when I was stumbling onto the shaggy white rug, although a glance at my watch confirmed it had only been a few minutes. Bluestar was standing behind the desk, and gave our group a nod of acknowledgement as she checked our names off the list.

"You may go to your rooms to unpack", she informed us, her eyes fixed back on the beam as she awaited the next student. "Dinner is at 6, as always."

I tossed my duffel bag over my shoulder, and with my friends at my side, we walked out of the Central Sector. Before long, Cinderheart and I were standing in our dorm room. Even in our absence, it had continued to be cleaned. The sheets had been crisply folded over the bed, the pillows fluffed, the furniture dusted and the floor vacuumed.

I threw my bag onto the bed, and began unpacking all of my things, neatly folding them and placing them in my dresser. Cinderheart, on the other hand, dumped everything onto her bed, tossed her clothes over her desk chair, and disappeared into the bathroom to take a shower. I made a mental note to chide her later: there was no way she could just leave her stuff scattered all over the place.

I lowered myself onto my bed and popped in my earbuds. The music filled my ears, and I let a long sigh escape my lips. As much fun as the trip had been….it was good to be back.

 **End Chapter 48**

 **::sigh:: And so ends my favorite arc thus far.**

 **Reviews plz? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	49. Love, by Bluestar

**Hexagon**

Chapter 49: Love, by Bluestar

 **Hey everyone, welcome back! Thank you to all the fabulous people for reviewing:**

 **-Biblical Enthusiast**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-Briarfeather4fun**

 **-Feathershade**

 **-Blujay19**

 **-Ellabellu**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Mad Hat Dragon**

 **-ivane**

 **-ravenclawjaguar**

 **-Watermist of ThunderClan**

 **-Mapledusk (x2)**

 **Thank you all so much! On with the fic!**

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

Sandstorm marched up and down the aisles of desks, tapping her fingernails on her coffee mug. The second she strode past, even Foxleap halted his shenanigans to stare fearfully at the teacher's bright orange mane of hair. Sandstorm has that effect. She's one of those teachers you can tell just by looking at that they don't take crap from ANYBODY. Not even from notorious class clowns like Foxleap.

She spun on her heels to stand next to her SmartBoard, which was displaying a deathly boring Powerpoint on political geography. She took a long, slow sip from the coffee in her mug, and scanned the classroom with calculating green eyes, searching for someone who wasn't paying attention.

"Lionblaze!", she barked. My brother snapped out of his doze almost instantly. He looked mildly terrified as he was leveled with an icy green glare from Sandstorm. "You're done studying already?" His mouth opened, as he was about to answer, but he thought better of it and quickly shut it again. "Since you're obviously so well prepared for the test tomorrow, I'm sure you have absolutely no issues telling me the definition of gerrymandering."

"Uh...t-the word came from Elbridge Gerry, who made a legislative district that looked like a salamander. So his opposition gave it the name gerrymandering! Gerry+mander!" She raised a ginger eyebrow, before remarking. "Most impressive, except I wasn't asking for the origins of the word gerrymandering, I was asking what it meant. Make sure to study that for tomorrow. Does anyone know the answer?"

My hand rose. "Gerrymandering is the redrawing of legislative boundaries to benefit the party in power."

"Correct." With that, Sandstorm marched on, prowling the rows, making sure no one had their phones out. She caught Dawnpelt on her device, snatched the phone without even looking at the brunette, and shoved it into the back pocket of her jeans. "You can get it back at the end of the week."

'You can't do that!", the Shadow girl said hotly. Sandstorm's eyes caught in the sunlight filtering in through the windows, making them blaze with emerald fire. "Try me", she hissed. Dawnpelt protested, but Sandstorm cut her off. "That was the fourth time this week, Dawnpelt. Consider yourself lucky not to be serving double detention with Purdy."

Dawnpelt immediately fell silent. Purdy, although he was a sweet old man, was a sure way to waste your time. He was one of the oldest teachers in the history department, even rivalling the age of Mousefur, and had a tendency to go on long, rambling tangents that usually had nothing to do with what he was supposed to be teaching.

For example: all I've learned this past unit is that he had a friend (a tall, gangly boy called Upwalker) who thought it was a good idea to wrestle a rabid fox. I'm not quite sure how we're expected to pass the Byzantine Empire Unit Exam next Tuesday. Most likely, Cinderheart and I will end up cram studying the night before the test.

The bell rang, the high, clear notes echoing through the halls. In unison, everyone rose and started shoving themselves out the door. Sandstorm rolled her eyes, brushed her ginger bangs out of her face, and leaned back in her swivel chair. I noticed Firestar hurrying through the hall and slipping into her classroom, and smirked knowingly.

I peered through the mass of students in the hall, and caught a silver ponytail bobbing along up ahead. "Cinderheart!", I called, and the girl turned to wave at me. I quickly shoved my way through a group of freshmen who had decided to stop in the middle of the goddamn hall, and caught up with my friend. "Hurry up!", she said, breaking into a run. "All the good tables will be gone!" Groaning, I slung my heavy book bag over my shoulders and took off after her.

We burst through the double doors leading into the Dining Hall. It was still more or less empty. I leaned over, resting my hands on my knees, and fought to catch my breath. "You made me", I panted. "Sprint across the school for THIS?" Cinderheart just grinned, seizing my backpack and pulling me upright. "I think you need to work out more, Holly", she said, smirking. "You're out of shape."

"Cram it", I muttered irritably, dumping my book bag on a chair. "We can't all be soccer players, can we?" Cinderheart just laughed. "Come on, let's go get food." I glared, panting. "Gimme a sec."

"Wow Holly, you really do need to go to the gym more", came a voice from behind us. Lionblaze and the other boys had just arrived. I gave him a short kick in the shins. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall it being 'Gang Up On Hollyleaf' day."

The two exchanged grins, then walked off to the buffet counters, everyone else falling in behind them. I righted myself, and to my surprise, saw that Fallen Leaves had waited for me. He was leaning against the table, looking at me with his jade colored eyes. "You alright?", he asked, mild concern in his voice. "I can talk to them if you want. That wasn't cool."

I smiled, touched by his concern. "Nah, don't worry about it. They're just messing around. Besides, Lionblaze and I rip on each other all the time." He nodded, satisfied with this answer. "Daisy made tomato soup, we should hurry before it runs out." He pulled me back upright, then we made our way to the line, which had grown substantially as more students poured into the Hall.

Once we reached the front of the line, Daisy shot us a wide grin. "Your friends came by earlier, I was wondering where you two were!" She pulled a pair white ceramic bowls out from under the counter, and doled out two extra large servings of soup. "Garlic bread?", she asked as she pressed the dials on the massive, industrial size oven. Fallen Leaves grinned. "You know it!"

Daisy placed a thick slice of garlic bread on each of our plates, and then leaned closer, her voice lowered secretively. "There's going to be a special announcement later at lunch, so make sure to stick around for that. But you didn't hear it from me, alright?"

Fallen Leaves and I exchanged bewildered glances, but promised to keep it quiet regardless. With that, we walked back to our seats, and Daisy turned to the next student in line. "Well that was weird", I remarked, making sure to keep my voice lowered. "What do you think that was about?" I shrugged. "I have no idea. We'll find out later I guess."

After those few words, the topic was more or less ignored. We rejoined the rest of the group at the window table. The conversation at the table was kept more or less light hearted, with Foxleap cracking dad jokes throughout the break. Eventually, the conversation wandered from Foxleap's plan to flour-bomb Dustpelt's bedroom to the upcoming holiday: Valentine's Day.

"I expect, like, at least one piece of diamond jewelry", Cinderheart told Lionblaze in an exaggerated valley girl voice. "And, like, I DEMAND chocolate strawberries and champagne." Berrynose took this moment to elbow the strawberry blond. "Like, yeah Blazikins, show your girl some loveeeeeee."

"It's too bad though", Honeyfern mused, resting her chin on her hand. "We never do anything for Valentine's Day. They make a huge deal over Halloween and the Winter Holidays and Easter and all the rest of it but they don't do anything for Valentine's". Fallen Leaves and I exchanged glances. With the love-themed holiday less than a week away, it wouldn't surprise me if this so called "mystery announcement" had something to do with it.

I ran my garlic bread around the rim of my bowl, letting it soak up the last bits of soup before eating it. Just after most of the students in the hall were finishing up, Bluestar strode into the center of the room.

"Could I get your attention, please?", she called out, raising her hand high into the air. Heads around the Dining Hall turned to fix on the dark haired headmistress. "Good afternoon, warriors!", she said brightly. "As most of you already know, St. Valentine's Day is coming up next week. We haven't done much for the holiday over the years, and the other heads and I have decided we would like that to change. Starting tomorrow, our brand new Love Grams will go on sale."

We exchanged somewhat unimpressed glances. "Love Grams? Really? They couldn't come up with anything more imaginative?", Jayfeather asked dryly.

But Bluestar wasn't done. "However, these Love Grams, as we like to call them, will have a slight twist. Instead of just sending the standard candy, students will be able to send a wide variety of items. Up for sale aren't just candies, but flowers, stuffed animals, perfumes, and even some jewelries. If none of the items appeal to you, you can purchase your own gift and put it into the Love Gram delivery program, which gives you the choice to stay anonymous. At the end of the holiday, a special couples-only dinner will be held in the MPR. We hope the festivities will prove enjoyable to everyone! Dismissed!"

With that, everyone rose, and made their way out the doors. I glanced over at Fallen Leaves, who was grinning. I had a feeling the next few days would be very enjoyable indeed….

 **End Chapter 49**

 **Literally every school I've gone to does Candy Grams. It seems to be a tradition in the American public school system or something, so I felt having the Hexagon students doing something this classic wasn't something I could pass up (I can literally imagine these rich brats sending each other Gucci sunglasses or something)**

 **So.**

 **Reviews, plz? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	50. Hollyleaves by Morning

**Hexagon**

Chapter 50: A Hollyleaves Morning

 **First off, I would like to say that this chapter, along with the other Valentine's chapters that are coming up, are a joint effort between myself and the fabulous Tigercry. Thanks so much, Tigercy! This whole Valentine's thing wouldn't have been possible without your help. Secondly, thank you to all the following people for their reviews:**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Feathershade**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-wren the rogue**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-HollyleafML (x2)**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-Biblical Enthusiast**

 **-Shadowed Woods**

 **-hello**

 **-Watermist of ThunderClan**

 **-Briarfeather4fun**

 **-Squirrelstar**

 **Thank you once again! On with the fic!**

 **Berrynose's POV:**

"What the hell? Berrynose! Slow down!", came the loud exclamation from behind me. I ignored it. Instead, I ran even harder. I didn't even want to think about what would happen if we didn't make it on time.

Bumblestripe groaned from my left where he was lagging behind, leaning on the nearby pillar for support. "Berrynose," he complained between heavy pants. "Where exactly are we going?"

Normally I would've felt a little bad for the guy, but today I had other priorities. I slowed down enough to make eye contact with my friend, and replied sharply. "The docks, I already said. Hurry up, we'll miss the shuttle if we wait any longer!"

Toadstep shot me a weird look and easily kept up with me, perks of being a midfielder, but he was starting to get a little miffed. "Since when do you care about the shuttles Berrynose? We've been here for two years, not once have you expressed interest for the shuttles!"

I checked my watch, almost had a heart attack, and promptly then broke into a full-on sprint. "I'll explain everything later!" I yelled as I pulled ahead of them, my panic giving me extra energy, "but if we miss it I'm screwed!"

The docks were located in the underbelly of the central sector and was a large, rather industrial looking area with deep depressions in the floor. Rope ladders, metal ramps, and even a forklift were in use all in use. Making the area loud with machinery, creaking metal, and bustling students.

I rounded the corner ahead of my friends and burst through the heavy metal doors just as several large plexiglass barriers were sliding shut. "Yes!" I cheered and pressed my nose to the glass, watching intently as the heavy panels on the side of the school's metallic walls slid open, and a rather large cargo shuttle crept in to be docked in one of the depressions.

The plexiglass barriers then retracted with the grinding of metal, and personnel rushed onto the shuttle to begin unloading supplies. I watched with a sharp eye as crates of food and massive tanks upon tanks of water were unloaded, my eye was on the shuttle driver, searching through the mass of people around the shuttle.

"There!" Toadstep spotted her quickly, a woman in navy blue uniform, complete with matching hat.

I quickly made my way over to her and shoved my receipt into her hands with a slightly panicked grin. She nodded after scanning through the slip of paper, "special deliveries are over there." She gestured to a corner of the docking area which was absolutely covered with boxes, many of them plastered in love-themed decorations. By now, other students were swarming over the pile, and I straightened my shoulders before making a mad charge at the swarm of students, shoving other students out of the way to find my order: Honeyfern's gift. After a few minutes of searching and being elbowed for than a few times, I able to find what I was looking for: a lacrosse stick. A brand-new lacrosse stick, with an inky black handle and pure white netting, red trim around the top. With it came several nice new lacrosse balls. I felt my racing heart start to slow, and let the relief wash over me in waves. I escaped the swarm of students and proudly showed it off to my pair of friends.

"That for Honeyfern?", Bumblestripe asked with a cheeky grin, waggling his brows. "You really went all out," he added as he scrutinized it, "that shit is from Cryotek, and their stuff is expensive."

I casually shrugged it off, "she's been saying she needs a new one." We strolled along for a little while, the noise quieting down as we moved away from the docks, and I asked with a start, having not noticed either of them getting anything. "Did either of you get anything?"

Toadstep pulled something out of his backpack. It was a black bound spiral sketchbook and a small set of Prismacolor art pencils. "I hope Icecloud will like them", he said, a faint blush staining the tips of his ears.

We both turned our gazes to Bumblestripe, who sighed and casually reached up to run a hand through his hair before giving a light shrug. "I don't really like anyone right now."

I raised an eyebrow at him, the whole school had been talking about him, Tigerheart, and Dovewing for months, even before the Spring Fling. "what about Dovewing?"

Bumblestripe laughed bitterly, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "As if she's getting anything from me after she stood both up Tigerheart and I at the dance. Told us she was gonna go with both of us, then didn't bother to show up. Didn't even tell us beforehand."

I winced, "Ouch, that sucks. However, to be completely honest, I don't want to be the one to tell you 'I told you so' but I did tell you she was a bitch."

We climbed a short flight of stairs and found ourselves in the front office, where the Love Gram tables were set up. We ambled to the station, where an enthusiastic Wind girl was manning the tables. "Hiya!", she chirped. "Here to drop off some presents for that special someone?" I nodded and handed her the lacrosse stick, which she placed into a holder behind her. "Any notes you want to attach to that?" I handed over the card, which simply read "Happy Valentine's Day!", then stepped aside to let Toadstep hand off his gift.

...

 **-Time Skip: Valentine's Day! -**

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

"I cannot believe him."

Cinderheart, who was standing next to me, giggled into her fist. "This is the kind of ridiculous over-the-top gesture I'd expect from my brother or something, not Fallen Leaves", I groaned, looking around me is half dismay half amusement.

Cinderheart just giggled, "Come on, Hollyleaf. You have to admit, it's pretty adorable. Besides," she looked around the common room and spoke in a slightly distant voice. "Lionblaze knows what I want for Valentine's day…" She quickly shook the melancholy away and grinned at me, "anyway, he's just showing that he cares about you."

I rested my face in my hands with my eyes closed. The embarrassment of the situation making me want to shrivel up and melt into the ground. "I have a sneaking suspicion a few of the girls were involved in this," I pointed out as I lifted my head from my hands a moment later and fixed a stern glare on my friend, "you wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Cindy?"

Cinderheart gave me an innocent look and held a hand to her heart in mock hurt, "Me? Why would I ever have anything to do with something like this, Holly dear?"

I turned slowly to survey the damage around me, which was the source of my embarrassment. The entire Thunder common room was covered in glittery pink and red balloons, each of which read my name in large, bedazzled calligraphy. Tinsel and streamers were thrown over the couches and draped over the TV, a banner was hanging above the door, and the floor was covered in shiny, heart-shaped confetti.

Cinderheart then gave me a semi mischievous smirk and pressed another glittery balloon into my hand. A piece of paper taped to the back of it, the words reading, "Dining Hall".

I groaned and looked blankly at the balloon for a few moments, before remarking, "I swear I'll kill you." Deciding I might as well back up the threat, I bent down and grabbed large handfuls of silvery confetti and broke into a run after her, pelting her with the gleaming party decorations.

Cinderheart darted away, nimbly weaving around the couches, tables, and other furniture. She was always one step ahead, and every time I thought I finally had her cornered, one quick, agile motion on her part would put her ahead again.

"Woah, what happened here?" My brother's voice gave me the perfect opportunity.

Cinderheart promptly lost all of her nimble grace at the sudden appearance of the blonde. A few streamers trailing on the ground tangled around her weak ankle, knocking her feet clear out from under her. "Watch out!" Cinderheart yelped as she pitched forward with her arms flailing with none of the quick reflexes of earlier. She then slammed into Lionblaze where the sheer amount of force knocked them both onto one of the couches. Which teetered perilously for a second at the combined weight and impact before it fell backward with a loud crash with a ploom of glitter and confetti and two yells of shock.

I could barely restrain my laughter at the position they were in and their expressions.

Lionblaze back pressed into the couch cushions, his arms flung out to the sides while his legs were currently bent at the knee and hanging over the foot rest of the couch.

Meanwhile Cinderheart had landed on her knees and was now unintentionally straddling my brother via his abdomen. The impact had thrown her forward as well, making her use her arms to brace herself and bending them at the elbow to absorb the shock of the impact. So their faced were hardly an inch apart, and Cinderheart seemed to realize that as her face turned a delicate shade of scarlet.

If anyone else had been in that position with him, Lionblaze likely wouldn't have cared and would've pushed them off, yet as I stood there watching, my brother's ears and cheeks turned pink and he didn't move a muscle.

I probably should've gone at that point, but I didn't. I wanted to see how they would react once they snapped out of the shock.

I could've sworn I saw Cinderheart's gaze flicker down to my brother's lips like the thought of kissing him brushed her mind before her entire face reddened and she scrambled back, creating plenty of space between their faces, "I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going…"

I began tuning them out as I headed out the door, chuckling softly and lightly shaking my head. I passed Jayfeather, who was cackling like a hyena at the fate that had befallen on our brother.

"Good luck!" Cinderheart yelled as I ran out the door seeming to have gotten over her temporary embarrassment. As I left though I heard Lionblaze sigh and sheepishly ask her a question, which resulted in a high pitched, "I'm sorry!" and more hyena laughter from Jayfeather.

I turned into the main Thunder hallway, which went right through the middle of the sector. It didn't take long before the connecting glass hall leading to the Central sector loomed in front of me. I sprinted past the heavy smoke doors, through the glass hall, and before long, I was in the heart of the Central sector.

I rounded a curve, passed another set of smoke doors (they're a precaution, installed to keep any potential fires contained) and burst into the Dining Hall. The large room was more or less empty. A few students were curled up in chairs or were taking advantage of the extra outlets and marginally faster Wi-Fi to do their homework. I threw a wild glance around the Hall and caught sight of Daisy and Millie cleaning dishes behind the counter.

My eyes narrowed. Daisy would totally help Fallen Leaves with a stunt like this. The violently pink balloon still clutched in my hand, I jogged over to Daisy. Just then I realized she had a pair of fabric cupid wings attached to her uniform. How very fitting.

Daisy's eyes fell on the balloon, and she held one dainty hand before her mouth to conceal her giggles. She put down the glass she had been cleaning, leaned forward, and whispered in my ear, "River connective hall."

Each one of the glass halls had been given a name. The River connective was the hall that spanned between the Central and River sectors, and coincidentally, had the nicest view in the school. I thanked her, then took off again.

I tore down a curved hallway and saw another pair of smoke doors as I approached the River connective. I slowed to a walk, and ambled carefully down the hall, keeping my eyes peeled. I needn't have bothered, and I fought to keep a blush off my face. Fallen Leaves certainly hadn't been subtle about it. An entire segment of wall had been covered in glitter-like decor. In the midst of sparkly streamers and balloons was a sign reading "Our Spot" in Fallen Leaves' calligraphy.

Other students were milling around the decor, speculating over who it was meant for and what was meant by "Our Spot". I just smiled, turned, and walked away.

There are two libraries at Hexagon. The first one is located in the Central sector, and it's absolutely massive, with books from literally subject imaginable, not to mention a state-of-the-art computer lab. Technically it's the only library students were allowed to use. I used to go there all the time, but as of recently the place has become a hangout spot for other students and it's rather loud so I don't really go there anymore. I usually opt to go to the teacher's library in the Star sector. This library technically isn't open to students but being a direct relative of Firestar means that my friend group is usually welcome in there. As long as we don't cause too much ruckus anyway.

It was here that I was headed. As soon as I had walked over the Star connective, I was halted by Squirrelflight, who had a secretive smirk on her face. She gave me a cheeky grin and gestured to the library doors behind her. "There's someone waiting for you in the library."

Bingo.

I thanked her, then pushed open the doors, fully prepared to have my eyes assaulted by more sparkly balloons. However, the library looked just as it always did, softly lit and comfortably cozy. I cast my eyes around the room, and before long spotted Fallen Leaves's auburn hair from where he was, sitting in a squashy armchair. I made my way over to him and curled myself next to him in the armchair, so we were sitting together. Fallen Leaves smiled widely. "Took you long enough", he said teasingly.

I swatted at him playfully. "Cram it you, I had to get Cinderheart back first." My voice softened and I relaxed, leaning against him a little. "You really went all out on that treasure hunt thing, didn't you?" I added after a few peaceful moments of silence, not rushing the conversation.

"Did you like it?" Fallen Leaves asked, smiling.

"Obviously," I smiled and lightly nudged his shoulder with my own, "but, you effectively put half the school into chaos. Literally, everyone's wondering whose boyfriend is awesome enough to set up an entire treasure hunt for just Valentine's Day."

Fallen Leaves went pink. "That wasn't my intention but thank StarClan you like it." Then after a moment continued, "say, Holly. Remember when we went shopping at that mall during the Spring Fling?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah? What about it?"

"Do...do you remember that blue dress you were trying on while we were there?"

I nodded again. "Why? Are you trying to make me salty about it not fitting all over again?"

Fallen Leaves shook his head and lightly cleared his throat. "Well, right as we were about to leave, I went back to the store we were at." He lightly scratched his cheek in a sheepish and slightly awkward manner, "and I may... have asked if they had any bigger versions of the dress in storage…"

My eyes widened comically, and my jaw slackened, "you seriously… no way… you cannot be serious…" Fallen Leaves just grinned proudly, reached behind the armchair, and produced the dress. The same adorable royal blue dress with the swishy skirt and flowy sleeves. My mouth gaping open in disbelief as he gave it to me, the cool, silky fabric running through my fingers like water.

"If you want you can even use it today, there's the Couples Dinner if you want to go to that with me," Fallen Leaves told me quietly with a slightly nervous smile.

Taking care not to wrinkle the dress, I leaned over and set it down on the table next to me, before I reached up to wrap my arms around Fallen Leaves' neck.

"Best. Boyfriend. Ever."

 **End Chapter 50**

 **A few of you were rather suspicious toward the Love Grams. Can't really blame you, not with my tendency to ruin otherwise happy moments with bloodshed ::deranged laughter::**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	51. Briarfeather by Noon

**Hexagon**

Chapter 51: Briarfeather by Noon

 **Well. This got out of hand. Tigercry and I were mailing our drafts of this chapter back and forth and damn, it ended up long (by my standards) [[Tigercry: It's still short for me! XD]]. Thank you to the following fabulous people for their reviews:**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-Guest**

 **-Ellabellu**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-Synesthete Azure**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-ivane**

 **-HollyleafML**

 **-Watermist of ThunderClan**

 **-Biblical Enthusiast**

 **Briarlight's POV:**

I smoothed out the paper between my fingers and raised my eyes to glance around the room. The commotion in the docks had more or less died down, the majority of the students had departed with their gifts. A long fuel hose was being plugged into the shuttle's side as it was prepared for departure. I watched as the captain removed her navy cap and ran a hand through her dark hair, effectively loosening the tight, professional bun.

I hurried over. "Excuse me?", I called. The captain (Dusk, as her name tag read) suddenly looked panicked at being caught being unprofessional.

She ducked into a hasty bow. "My apologies, miss. It wasn't my intent to have you see me being indecent."

I waved off her apology, smiling. "Don't worry about it, everyone needs to relax for a few seconds every once in a while. Although, you might want to keep an eye out for a platinum blond answering to Dovewing," I added with a sheepish warning, "she'll raise hell if she sees that."

I then showed her the paper. "I have a special order I need to pick up, it's a set of Agatha Christie novels in Braille. I was told you would have them?"

Dusk nodded, setting her navy cap carefully back on her head. "Of course. Follow me, miss." She led me through a metal rimmed door into the shuttle's cockpit, and then through another door into a small storage area.

There, on top of a shelf, was a set of Braille books, sitting upright in a small wicker tray, coated in clear plastic to protect them from dust. I couldn't help but smile, they were perfect.

Dusk took the books down and I handed her my receipt to keep before she gave me the books. As I held the set of books in the wicker tray in my arms, she shot me a small, somewhat mischievous grin. "I hope that special someone enjoys them."

I merely smiled, "thanks, I bet they will," and started walking away. Fishing a separate piece of paper from my pocket that had a message that had taken way too long to write as I left. That's what I get for writing a message in Braille to my best ability.

Nervousness made my stomach churn a little and for a moment I couldn't help but feel nervous and doubtful this was a good idea. Before I shook my head to clear it and headed toward where the candy grams were supposed to be given, tucking the note into the wicker tray where he would eventually find it.

He would know it was from me the moment he likely ran his fingers over one of the covers. Not many people knew Jayfeather like I did, behind that aloof and prickly exterior that made everyone nervous and uncomfortable to be around him. I knew was he was really like, a sarcastic book worm with socially awkward tendencies and a goofball once you got him to relax properly.

Yeah, he was going to love the books, that I was absolutely sure of.

"Hey Briarlight," someone called my name but for now I paid them no mind, looking down at the set of books in my arms and feeling confident that it was a good idea. Now for some fun with it...

…

 **Half Moon's POV:**

"Thanks so much for letting me use the kitchens, Daisy."

The short, buxom woman gave me a broad smile. "Of course! I love making chocolates. You can imagine how excited I was when you asked me for help!" I giggled. "You're like the Matchmaker of Hexagon. Whenever someone gets together, there's like a 90% chance you had something to do with it." Daisy gave a proud grin. "You dense teenagers need all the help you can get."

I averted my eyes. "I really hope Jayfeather likes them."

Daisy gave me an encouraging pat on the back. "He'd better enjoy them!", she proclaimed. "This is my best recipe. If he doesn't, just tell me, and I'll give him a good what-for!" She slammed one dainty fist into her palm, then looked at me, her eyes no longer joking. "In all seriousness, child. If he can't appreciate what an amazing person you are, then he's not worth the trouble. Don't waste your affections on someone who doesn't want them. That's a lesson I've learned the hard way."

I turned back to the double boiler and returned my attention to tempering the chocolate. Daisy was chopping up fillings for the truffles. "He's not like that", I said quietly. "He's just….really aloof and distant to everyone, except his siblings. He's hard to please. That's what scares me."

Daisy just smiled. "I know Jayfeather and his family well. He's a good kid. I wish you the best of luck."

…

 **Jayfeather's POV:**

I was curled up in the teacher's library, enjoying the day off that Bluestar had given us, when a chirpy freshman came in, wearing a pair of cupid wings. "You do realize", I drawled. "That this is the teacher's library? No students allowed?"

"Miss Sandstorm let me in! She told me you'd be here!" With a rustle of fabric, she reached into her bag and pulled out two packages. "You must be really popular with the ladies, huh?", she said energetically. "All those presents!" She handed me the first one. I ran my fingers along it, feeling the hard edges. Books? The girl gestured to the first package. "Those are from someone named Briarlight! And these-" She handed me another box, one that smelled strongly of fruits and chocolate "-are from someone named Half Moon! Anyway, enjoy!" With that, the freshman flounced back out of the library, the rustling of cupid's wings following her until she was out the door.

I set my book down. It was a Braille copy of The Maltese Falcon, a crime novel from the 1930s. Pushing the book aside, I reached for the two packages, the first of which was from Briarlight. I tore off the protective plastic, removed it from the wicker tray, and ran my fingers slowly down the front, feeling the bumps and ridges of Braille. And Then There Were None; Agatha Christie. I felt a broad smile spreading across my face. Oh, this was Briarlight's gift alright. Very few people (aside from maybe the school librarian) knew of my deep love for crime novels. Briarlight was one of them. I set the book aside, treating it with the same care as one would a newborn child, and picked up the next book in the set. Endless Night; Agatha Christie.

I went through the set, touching each cover with a gentle finger, running through the titles in my mind. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Peril at End House. Murder on the Orient Express. The list went on, but I noticed something after the fifth book, the plastic had been loose, cut on one side, and only half the basket was full. As I picked up the plastic and stretched it slightly to gauge how many books were supposed to be in it, my jaw dropped. Judging by the thickness of each book and how far apart my hands were I was missing at least five.

I quickly lifted each book and brushed my fingers over the inside of the wicker tray, looking for the missing five books. Briarlight wouldn't keep half the set from me would she?

I groaned. It was just like Briarlight to pull a prank like this. However, a moment later the material under my fingers changed from the rough wicker to a smooth material, like paper.

I picked it up and clumsily unfolded it with a soft sigh, but as my fingers slid over the smooth paper, I guessed I wouldn't be able to read it. That didn't make sense, this wasn't Briarlight's style, she knew I was blind, so why… my fingers then brushed over Braille letters. A little misplaced and sloppy, but they were definitely Braille letters.

'I have the other half of the set, the last five of the books. Beat me in a race around the gym and I'll give them to you, otherwise, I'll gladly keep them all to myself! Meet me at three o'clock today at the track ~Briarlight'

I blinked and ran my fingers over the words again before giving a sigh littered with amusement. That was Briarlight all right, she never liked to do anything the easy way. But she was my friend, and it's not like I minded the challenge. For now, though I set the note and tray down with the half set of books and reached for the next gift.

My fingers brushed against the top, and found the ribbon that was tied around the case. I tugged carefully on the bow, and felt the tension on the fabric loosen as the knot slid out.

As I slid off the top of the box, and lightly brushed my fingertips along the inside of the box, a tantalizing sweet smell hit my nose. Twenty-four chocolates, smooth and glossy in texture were neatly arranged in four rows of six on a bed of wax paper. I listened hard for any noise that would indicate another presence in the library; since I would most likely lose my library privileges if someone caught me eating in the teacher's library of all places. Hearing none, I then picked up one of the chocolates and placed it on my tongue.

It was silky dark chocolate with a sweet and crunchy toffee filling with the hint a subtle hint of vanilla. I chewed thoughtfully, recognizing this recipe. It was one Daisy was the most proud of. She had that recipe locked up tighter than a horcrux in a Gringotts vault. Half Moon must have spent at least two or three hours pestering her for this particular recipe.

Both gifts were fantastic; the chocolate melted in my mouth, mixing with the crunchy toffee, satisfying my secret sweet tooth. The book set (assuming I managed to beat Briarlight) would keep me hooked for months. The gifts were drastically different, but I appreciated them both, even if I didn't want to deal with the drama of being stuck between both of their senders. Although… this was the first time Briarlight had really showed me her crush, she was more laid back than Halfmoon, letting her best friend try her hand while silently hanging back and remaining my close friend.

I rested my forehead on the desk I was sitting at, letting the cool wood work its magic. This entire clusterfuck of a situation made my head pound and my temples throb. No matter which way I went about the situation, someone's heart was going to get broken.

I gathered the books and chocolate together, estimating that it was close to three by now. The last thing I wanted was to hurt someone. Yes, I'll be the first to admit to being an antisocial loner, but I'm not completely devoid of emotions. I had to be honest with myself, and the two girls. Half Moon was one of the sweetest people I've ever met, but she doesn't understand me the way Briarlight does. I feel at ease around Briarlight, like I can be myself without being afraid to hurt her feelings. She knows parts of me that I've only ever shown my siblings. She's someone I can talk to and mess around with, not someone I feel the need to act a certain way for.

Now how am I going to beat a girl who was literally nicknamed Speed Demon? I had an inkling I would have to pull something special to win, but I was determined to get the rest of this set, somehow...

…

When I told my brother Lionblaze about Briarlight's challenge, he literally burst out laughing. "Jayfeather, dude," he said while tucking a towel into his backpack once he recovered from his laughing fit. "I hate to burst your bubble but there's no way you're beating Briarlight of all people in a race." He grinned at me with a grin I couldn't see, then continued, "She's called the Speed Demon for a reason. She wiped the floor with Ashfur last week. _Ashfur_. You know how he is about sports."

I snorted and rolled my blind eyes, leaning back in the common room armchair I was sitting in, which was thankfully somehow devoid of tinsel and confetti. "Ouch, you have so much faith in me, brother dearest," I muttered sarcastically.

Lionblaze gave me a sarcastic and hearty slap on the back, "Someone has to little bro."

"Yeah right," I scoffed, "You're barely an hour older than me."

"So?" Lionblaze retorted, "Still means I'm older." I heard the swishing of cloth as Lionblaze swung his backpack over his shoulder, and my curiosity peaked.

"Where're you going?"

"Do you really think I'm going to miss this train wreck?" Lionblaze laughed, "I'm coming with you, this I have to see." In that moment, Hollyleaf peeped her head in through the door. "See what?", she asked curiously. Lionblaze spun to face her, laughing, and said, "Jay-Jay here thinks he's going to beat Briarlight in a race." Hollyleaf snickered. "I hate to agree with Lionblaze, but he has a point. Why are you racing her anyway?"

Once I had explained the challenge to her, Hollyleaf was no longer laughing. Instead, she was deep in thought, pacing around the common room, the wood panel flooring creaking with her every step. Suddenly, the obnoxious creaking stopped, and she exclaimed, "I got it! Wait here!" With that, my sister took off out the door. Lionblaze, who was sitting next to me, shifted in his seat. "I wonder what that was about", he mused. There was the faint sound of rustling as he ran a hand through his hair.

We didn't have to wait long. A mere few minutes later, I heard the pounding of footsteps, and Hollyleaf burst back into the room. She was waving something in the air. "Look at this!", she told Lionblaze gleefully. My brother fell into fits of laughter as he saw what Hollyleaf was holding. Confused as to what was eliciting such a reaction from the two of them, I reached forward, and snatched whatever they were holding out of their hands.

It took me less than a minute to figure out what was so funny. It was a pair of running shorts. A pair of tiny running shorts. I shot the two of them the dirtiest look I could muster, and said, "Are you two for real?" The only response I got was a pair of evil giggles. "Both of you suck. There is no way I'm wearing this."

...

I was wearing them.

I, Jayfeather, proud loner and medicine apprentice, was wearing a pair of tiny shorts out in public. I could hear my siblings' matchermaker-ish giggling from the other side of the track. Accompanying them were Cinderheart and Fallen Leaves. Fallen Leaves had had some semblance of pity for my inevitable doom. Cinderheart had practically keeled over laughing and had to be dragged off the track by Lionblaze, who was so busy laughing he almost fell over himself.

I glared. This had better pay off, preferably in the form of crime novels.

...

 **Briarlight's POV:**

I adjusted my ponytail, taking the moment to run my hand through the brown strands. I was already curious as to what Jayfeather would bring to the table. No matter who won this, it would be a fun race. Plus if there's anything I like more than my mystery novels, it's a good challenge. I pushed open the gym doors and felt my jaw drop.

What. The. Hell.

My face must have turned flushed darker than the Red Spot on Jupiter.

Jayfeather was dressed in a pair of short white running shorts with a blue stripe down the sides and an azure blue sleeveless hoodie. And damn him, those clothes looked _good_ on him. I caught a glimpse of pale, toned legs and felt my cheeks instantly burn. You probably could've fried an egg on my face with how hot it was. Still, I respectfully kept my eyes averted as I took my spot on the track next to him. "What the hell Jayfeather!," I hissed at him, "That's cheating!"

"Because stealing half of my books for a race is totally fair", he teased with a smug smirk, "Plus you never set any rules".

I groaned, "I deserved that one, but how was I supposed to know you'd do _that_?" I gestured to him, "Seriously, whose idea was this? Hollyleaf's? I'll bet it was Hollyleaf's."

The corners of his lips curled upward in a challenging smirk. "Who cares? Eyes on the prize, Briarlight, or I'll leave you in the dust. Those novels are mine."

In that moment, Hollyleaf's voice rang out through the gym. "Ready!"

I grumbled about Jayfeather cheating, he was beyond distracting in that outfit, and fell into a 3 point start, one knee resting on the ground, the other raised. I lightly placed my right hand on the floor.

"Set!" I raised my rear into the air, putting my weight onto the balls of my feet.

"Go!" And we were off. I pushed off, fast and hard, keeping my head low. Power. Speed. Don't look at Jayfeather. It's not hot if I don't look at him. Simple. I got this.

I raised my head slightly, eyes narrowed. I was going into one of the curves. I felt the soles of my feet burn from the friction as I rounded the curve on the track and saw small clouds of orange dust raising from the track. Jayfeather was behind me, but only by a little bit. His cloudy blue eyes were narrowed in determination.

I slowed slightly, hesitating for half a second. He seemed to sense I had slowed down, and put on an extra burst of speed, brushing past me.

I wanted to sink into the ground and disappear. I thought my face couldn't possibly have gotten any redder, and yet here I was, struggling to maintain my usually flawless focus. Still, through the struggling with myself and inwardly dying of embarrassment, I didn't mind too much. The view from back here was quite nice. I zoned out slightly, keeping my eyes fixed on Jayfeather. Suddenly someone's voice jolted me back into awareness, amusement in their voice

"C'mon Briarlight!"

I snapped out of it, my face flushing yet again and looked up. Only to see Jayfeather almost at the finish line. I poured every bit of energy I had into the last stretch. Scrambling to catch up and attempting to shoot past him and despite my efforts, I still finished half a second after Jayfeather. Just as I was lamenting the loss of the mystery books, not to mention trying to get my burning face to cool, Hollyleaf cantered over a Cheshire-cat grin on her face. "You know Briarlight, if you hadn't been so busy staring at Jayfeather's butt, you probably would have won."

I rolled my eyes. "Ha ha, very funny. I'll bet my left toe that this was your idea. Jayfeather is the last person I'd expect to pull a dirty stunt like that. Speaking of which." I then whirled around to face a smug looking Jayfeather, his cloudy gaze focused on me. "You sir, are an asshole. I want a rematch. You messed up my focus, you cheater."

"We both know I'd get my ass kicked if I played fair" Jayfeather responded with a snort, "But fine, I'll take you up on that challenge. As long as I get the books."

I nodded in determination, letting a good natured grin spread over my face. "Sure, you can have the books, but I'm going to beat you and your ridiculous shorts this time."

"I don't doubt it." Jayfeather rested his hand on my shoulder, his sightless blue eyes were fixed on me with almost unnerving clarity as he said, "You're the fastest runner in the school. I don't stand a chance in a fair race, why else do you think I came out here in this ridiculous getup? StarClan, you wiped the floor with our gym teacher, I think I have the right to be a little scared."

I said nothing, staring at him with my mouth slightly hanging open. My shoulders still tingled where he had touched, my skin coursing with electricity. "You could beat me if you really want to," the words came out of my mouth before I knew what was happening. My hands seemed to move without my knowledge, and suddenly I was grasping his forearms, holding him tight. "You can do anything you put your mind to, Jayfeather."

For a moment neither of us said anything and stayed dead still, scared to move.

I instinctively held my breath, anxiously studying his face, wondering what he would do and if I had gone too far. I rarely said anything like that and portrayed anything more than platonic affection around him. Afraid of offending him or putting him off and worst of all ruining our friendship.

Then, before my eyes, I saw a pink flush spread over his nose and cheeks. Hell, even the tips of his ears went pink! He let me go and coughed awkwardly into a hand, directing his blind gaze away from me in an awkward manner.

I couldn't help myself, I started giggling, completely ignoring his siblings.

Jayfeather looked indignant at my laughter and opened his mouth to retort, I leaned over and hugged him. "Don't ever change Jayfeather," I laughed, "Never change."

"Okay?" Jayfeather questioned, looking baffled. I knew Jayfeather avoided physical contact for the most part and sometimes it made him uncomfortable. However, to my surprise, he loosened up a little and I even felt one of his hands briefly brush against my back.

I moved to pull back and explain myself, but I heard a gasp, the sharp noise easily heard in the large and echo-y gym. My head snapped around toward the door the moment it hit my ears. I caught a flash of pale blonde hair whipping out of sight just as the gym doors slammed shut. I jumped back from Jayfeather as if I had been burned. Half Moon.

"What?" Jayfeather asked while I just stood there, staring at the door with my hands over my mouth. "What's going on?"

Nobody said anything.

Half Moon… my best friend. She liked Jayfeather too, had made it obvious, and here I was, making moves on him. I hadn't so much as spoken to her about anything. It felt like betrayal, somehow. I squeezed my eyes shut and dropped to my knees. I fisted the cool fabric of my shorts (which were longer than Jayfeather's, by the way) and tried to come to a decision. What was I supposed to do? She's my best friend!

I like Jayfeather, who she has a crush on too.

Then again, Jayfeather is my friend too…

But Half Moon is my best friend. She's always been there to support me, always there when I need someone to talk to, always there when I needed advice.

My best friend, Half Moon.

Or.

My close friend and crush, Jayfeather.

I grimaced, racking my brain. What should I do? Go after Half Moon and try to come to an understanding with her?

Or should I stay here with Jayfeather?

My hands tightened, crushing the fabric in my fingers. Jayfeather or Half Moon? The two people I was closest two, on opposite sides, two different choices. Dammit, I cared about both of them!

"Will someone say something?!" Jayfeather spat, the confusion in his voice giving way to anger. "I don't know about all of you but I can't see what happened!"

I liked Jayfeather. It had taken me long enough to admit that to myself, to accept that I liked him as more than a friend. Up to this point, I had put my feelings on the back burner, and let Half Moon try her hand at winning him over. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to put my feelings first.

"Half Moon came into the gym," Hollyleaf's voice was hesitant and unsure like even she didn't know what to do in a situation like this, "And she didn't look happy when she left."

Lionblaze was smitten with Cinderheart, and Fallen Leaves only had eyes for Hollyleaf. Neither of them had to be in a mess like this. Only I did. I did because I was a coward. I had kept it to myself for too long, not acting on my feelings to make my best friend happy, only to have it blow up in my face.

I heard the footsteps of someone approaching and opened my eyes to see Jayfeather's tennis shoes.

I looked up at him, tilting my head back and lifting my chin so I could see him, even though I noticed with a start that my vision was threatening to blur with tears. No, I wouldn't cry. Not now, not here, not in front of him even though he couldn't see it.

"What are you going to do?" Jayfeather asked me quietly, his cloudy blue gaze somehow still fixed on my face.

I said nothing, blinking rapidly as I fought back my tears. His cerulean gaze met mine, piercing and unsure. He was just as torn over this as I was. "I'm sorry… I don't… I don't know how to help."

I would have to make a decision, I had to solve this. I got up, brushing off my knees as I did so. "The books are in my bag, next the bleachers. Have Hollyleaf or Lionblaze grab them for you. Quick, let's go." A small smile spread over his face. "Oh yeah?", he asked, a teasing lilt in his voice. "Where are we going?"

I steeled myself, letting my determination seep into my voice. "To find Half Moon."

 **End Chapter 51**

 **Oooooooh I'm having fun with this. Thank you again Tigercry for helping me out with this! I was actually having massive writer's block on what to do for Briarfeather so her help was extremely welcome XD**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**

…

 ***Tigercry pokes head in***

 **You're having fun Azra? Cause I'm having a total blast! It's been awhile since I've collabed with anyone (and never on ) and it's refreshing working on a story that isn't my own and doesn't have my usual characters :P**

 **Don't get me wrong, I love Cynthia and Leon to death (humanized Cinderheart and Lionblaze, respectively), buuuut sometimes I get a little bored with the same characters all the time :P Plus I'm writing romance for a few of my favorite warriors couples, can't go wrong there! :D**

 **Until next time, where our greatest creation so far awaits! (I'm so excited!)**

 **~Tigercry**


	52. Cinderblaze by Dusk

**Hexagon**

Chapter 52: Cinderblaze by Dusk

 **Azra: this chapter…..is also ridiculously long. I apologize for the late upload, Tigercry and I simultaneously got writer's block. Kind of hard to get anything done when you both feel hella uninspired** ** _ **[[Tigercry: Yup… sorry about that guys XD]]**_ Hopefully the next update will be on time, especially since the chapters are so long right now. Thank you to the following fabulous people for their reviews: **

**-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-HollyleafML**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Guest**

 **-Shiiisu**

 **-Ellabellu**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-hello (x2)**

 **Half Moon's POV:**

Running. Tears tracked their salty trails down my cheeks, the cool moisture burning the corners of my eyes. _How could she?_ Briarlight is my best friend, to the point that we're practically sisters. We shared everything from milkshake straws to our darkest secrets. I think it's a pretty safe bet to say Briarlight knows more about me than my parents.

She _knew_ how I felt about Jayfeather. So why the hell would Briarlight, the person I had the most trust for, the person I confided everything in, do something like this to me?

Running. I heard Jayfeather and Briarlight's voices echoing through the hallway behind me and ran even harder. Of course, it was futile. I hate running. I'm lucky if I make a fifteen minute mile. Briarlight breezed past me in a fluid, cantering jog, slowly coming to a stop next to me. Jayfeather was only seconds behind. Neither of them had so much as broken a sweat. I, on the other hand, had a side stitch and labored breathing.

Somehow, this observation just angered me more. I leveled both of them with a glare. "Fuck off", I hissed, doubling over. I rested my hands on my knees, lowered my head, and fought for breath. I didn't miss the hurt that flashed across Briarlight's face. Nor did I miss the indignance that crossed over Jayfeather's. The blind medicine apprentice opened his mouth, preparing for a scathing reply when Briarlight cut him off.

"Half Moon….", her voice wavered, becoming choked up. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I watched, eyes wide, as the proud brunette ducked her head, pulling up the collar of her athletic shirt to cover her face.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Briarlight was crying. Proud, headstrong, ever cheerful Briarlight was crying, her lithe form racked with sobs. Jayfeather had stiffened up at the sound of the sobs, and I watched (somewhat resentfully) as his arm came up to rest over her shoulders. It had the opposite of the desired effect. The crying escalated from mild sniffling to full on waterworks.

It happened before I could stop myself. I moved forward, and suddenly I was hugging Briarlight, letting her cry into my shoulder. "I'm sorry, too", I whispered. "Jayfeather….I owe you an apology. For not respecting your decision. Briarlight, stop crying, please." I felt her body heave a few more times as she sobbed, then she straightened up, rubbing the tears from her face. "I'm...sorry", she mumbled. "I shouldn't have lost control."

"Everyone needs to cry sometimes. It's good to let it out", Jayfeather remarked as he sat down on the hallway floor. We were quiet for a few moments as Briarlight got her bearings.

"Let's go together."

To my surprise, it was Jayfeather who had spoken. "I feel like it's the least I can do for you, Half Moon. Let's all go together. As friends." Briarlight nodded, smiling, as she rubbed her eyes.

"So it's settled."

...

 **Foxleap's POV:**

 _Flashback:_

 _I stepped back, my hands on my hips to admire my handiwork. Hazeltail's roommates Icecloud and Blossomfall were standing at the edges of the room, giggling. They had been the ones to let me in in the first place. I made a few slight adjustments to the mechanisms, then quickly ducked into Hazeltail's closet._

 _Icecloud grasped my arm. "Good luck, bro", she whispered, then followed Blossomfall out the door._

 _End Flashback_

I paced around the tiny closet, checked my phone, stretched, did jumping jacks, all while straining my ears. The slightest creak of footsteps in the hall and I would go still, pressing my eye to the crack in the wood. Hazeltail hadn't come. I was starting to get worried. The dinner was coming up. What if she didn't come back to her dorm?

No, that didn't make sense. She had to. Surely, she had left her dress and makeup in here. But what if she had taken the dress with her…? Starting to get anxious, I pulled up the flashlight on my phone and beamed it around the closet.

No. There it was. The sleeveless yellow dress with the white designs, the high stockings, and the golden gladiator sandals. Relieved, I slumped back against the wall. Just then, I heard the telltale humming of the door sliding open as it was unlocked.

I steeled myself.

There was a terrific _crack_ and a whooshing flurry. I heard Hazeltail swear and grinned. Success. I stepped out of the closet, and immediately swept into a low bow. I caught a glimpse of Hazeltail. Her upper body was coated in a fine layer of glitter and confetti. She picked a long streamer out of her hair and gave me a look like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Do you know", she began, spitting out a mouthful of confetti. "How hard it is to get rid of glitter?" I snickered. "Also. Unlike you to steal prank ideas. Fallen Leaves glitter bombed Hollyleaf this morning."

I grimaced. "Awwwwwww, he beat me to it? That is seriously lame. That asshole." She blinked, then asked drily, "What happened?"

"We had a contest to see who could get our decor set up first. And the loser has to buy the winner a new phone. Ugh. And I really needed mine replaced."

Hazeltail snickered under her breath, and dunked her hands into the pile of glitter, pulling out banner that read, "Be My Valentine?". She tossed it over her shoulder, and strolled out the door. Feeling panicked, I called, "Wait, where are you going?" She turned around, grinning. "I have a dinner to get ready for, don't I?"

-4 hours earlier-

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

"Enjoying yourself up there?", Lionblaze asked, his lips twitching upward in a smirk. I buried my face in a nearby sequin covered pillow, trying to hide the way my face burned. He did not just insinuate what I thought he had. I peeled my face away from the fabric just enough to see him grinning teasingly at me. "Oh my StarClan, you suck", I groaned, trying to remove the mental images from my brain, while silently praying he hadn't guessed what I was thinking.

I looked up again. He was practically grinning from ear to ear. My face, in turn, instantly went red. I hastened to remove the pillow and push myself into sitting up, my face growing warmer by the second. "I'm sorry!" I rambled, trying to force my face to go back to normal while also trying to avoid his rather arrogant half smirk. "I wasn't watching where I was going and Holly was chasing me, and-"

"Cinderheart?"

I paused in my rambling just long enough to look at him. His jovial expression had somewhat dimmed. He seemed to have noticed that I was getting more and more flustered, and seemed somewhat apologetic for pushing the situation.

"Calm down. Breath. I was totally kidding." Lionblaze smirked as he continued, "Besides, you're blabbering again." I bashed him over the head with the pillow before setting down on the confetti covered couch next to him. "Jerk," I remarked, grinning as I reached over and flicked him in the nose. Having done that, I stretched and rolled off the couch and onto the floor. The second I hit the ground, I yelped in pain. I had landed in small mountain of plastic hearts, the sharp ends stabbing through my leggings into my thigh. Lionblaze didn't get up from the couch, but his gaze did turn a little concerned as I cursed under my breath and stood up, brushing the sequins off my pants and rubbing the spot where the heart one stabbed me.

"We should probably clean this shit up before it gets tracked everywhere", I remarked, deciding to act my age for once. It wasn't like I liked the idea, technically it was Fallen Leaves' mess. But I had tipped over the couch, which made me partly responsible for the state of disaster the common room was currently in. Lionblaze, however, was much less on board with the idea. "C'mon Cinder", he groaned, burying his face in an upturned couch cushion. "It's Fallen Leaves' mess. Let him do i-"

I leveled him with a glare. He sat up, rubbing a hand through his already messy hair. "C'mon, there are better things to do!"

"Oh yeah? Like what?" I rolled my eyes and moved to fetch a broom from the small closet tucked into the corner of the common room.

"Well. I could watch you from here. Yeah, that sounds pretty good, I think I'll do that." I felt my face flame up.

"You're about this close" I raised my hand, thumb and index finger a millimeter apart, "to getting my cleats thrown at your head."

"You're cute when you're red," Lionblaze told me offhandedly. I felt my foot catch under a streamer as my stride faltered. And just like that, I pitched face forward into the ground for the second time that day.

"Cinderheart, are you okay?" I heard Lionblaze's hurried footsteps and fought the black spots in my vision. Did I fall on something hard? I felt the ground underneath me, I didn't think so. What I did feel however, was the handle of the broom wedged between the floor and my body, the plastic digging into my ribs.

I'm for the most part healed up. The bruises, scratches, black eye and split lip are gone. In contrast, my ribs were still tender, and hurt at even light touches. I often dragged myself back to the dorm after training, my chest sore and aching. I saw Lionblaze's hand reaching down to grasp my own, and I took the moment to look at it. The whip wound, once an angry, bloody gash had faded to a pale lick of pink. His hand in mine, I could feel the raised scar tissue against my palms.

"Fucking... Heathertail..." I hissed as he pulled me upright. "Dammit, Ashfur's gonna be so pissed if I'm hurt again." Lionblaze raised his eyebrows at me, surprise written across his features. We haven't talked about Heathertail. As a matter of fact, we've been ignoring the topic completely.

"Let's not talk about her right now." I nodded in agreement, gasping, pressing my hands to my sore ribs. "Dammit….", I rasped. Lionblaze cursed under his breath, "Shit, your ribs right?" I shuddered, dragging in a long, wheezing breath, feeling one of his hands rest on my back. The strawberry blond's cursing grew louder. "Where's Jayfeather when you need him", he snapped, voice tight. "JAYFEATHER!"

"Calm down", I muttered. "Give me a sec." With me free hand, I took hold of the couch and started trying to pull myself up. What had initially only been dull throbs of pain flared up into sharp, searing bursts. I hastily sat back down. "Here, let me help." Lionblaze's other hand took hold of mine. "Ready?" I nodded. "In three, two, one.." With an abrupt pull, I felt my body part ways with the ground. My ribs were on fire. I felt myself toppling, teetering, falling...

As quickly as the feeling of unbalance came, it went. The realization hit me like a bus. I was being carried. My butt came down on the still glittery couch. "It is kinda my fault you fell again. It's the least I can do. Also, Fallen Leaves seriously owes me one."

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

Closing the small closet door, I gave a satisfied sigh and stretched my arms above my head. Finally, after the better part of half an hour, the Thunder common room was clean. Well mostly clean anyway, all Fallen Leaves would have to do is throw trash bag away and vacuum the couches.

He seriously owes me.

I rubbed a smattering of glitter of my face and turned to face the couch. "You still conscious over there?", I teased. "Somewhat", came the reply. "When is practice anyway?" I sat down next to her on the blissfully glitter free couch, letting her use me as a headrest. "That", I mused. "Is a good question." I unlocked my phone and scrolled through my emails. One in particular stood out to me.

 _Ashfur (2)_

"I wonder what this is about." I tapped on it, opening the email. There having replaced the last message from Ashfur, was a new, rather short mail.

 _No practice tonight. Go enjoy the dinner. Also be responsible._

 _-Ashfur_

Cinderheart, who had leaned over my shoulder to read the mail, snorted. "Typical."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. Gives us more time. 4 o'clock, don't forget your towel." She grinned. "As if."

I exited out of my emails and pulled up the messenger app.

 _Lionblaze: common rm is clean_

 _Lionblaze: ur welcome_

 _Fallen Leaves: oppppppssss_

 _Fallen Leaves: sorry_

 _Lionblaze: its fine. u owe me tho. and do it yourself next time_

 _Fallen Leaves: ya k_

Putting my phone down, I leaned back in the couch. Night couldn't come fast enough.

…

 **Cinderheart POV:**

"Spill."

I paused, having been busy packing my pool bag. Hollyleaf leaned forward, dark hair falling into her eyes, grinning.

"What?"

"You know what. What's my brother doing for Valentine's Day?"

I resumed my packing, shoving a pair of flip flops and a change of clothes into my pool bag. "Oh. I have no idea. He just gave me a list and a time, that's it."

"Whatever it is, I bet it's huge and extravagant," Hollyleaf pointed out, "That is Lionblaze's style."

"Yeah…" If I was honest with myself I didn't want some big fancy thing like Hollyleaf's scavenger hunt from Fallen Leaves. Not this year anyway. Normally I would be all for it, curious to see what kind of crazy stunt my drama king jock of a boyfriend would pull off, but not this year. This year I was tired, stressed, and very tired of unexpected events like Heathertail for example.

Heathertail.

I bit my bottom lip and slung the bag over my shoulder. StarClan, how I despised her. I'm not petty enough to get this worked up over something as trivial as boyfriend drama. But this girl….she had made attempts on my LIFE. She's put me and everyone I care about through hell, and I hated her for it.

Heathertail was the topic of a conversation that we had both been very deliberately avoiding. The Festival. How much of what she had said was true? Lionblaze was hesitant to talk about it. I could understand, the whole thing probably embarrassed him greatly. He had given me hints, small bits of information that lead me to draw my own conclusions, but at this point, it wasn't enough. I needed answers.

Straight, direct, to the point answers.

My mind flitted back to earlier that day. He had called me by my birth name, Cinder. Being called that was special to me, without the suffix and certainly without the derogatory 'paw' that Heathertail seemed to enjoy using. "Heatherpaw," I muttered under my breath, testing the sound of it and finding it more fitting than Heathertail's full name. Next time I saw her that's what I would call her. After all, childish behavior deserves a childish response.

"Cinderheart? Are you there?"

I blinked, turning my head to see Hollyleaf crouched on the dorm bed next to me. "Huh? Sorry. Zoned out. What were you saying?"

Hollyleaf strode over to my closet and reached into it, pulling out a pair of my running shorts. It was by far my shortest pair, in a gauzy, somewhat transparent shade of white with a blue stripe running down the side. I felt my face redden.

"I was saying that Briarlight challenged Jayfeather to a race," Hollyleaf explained simply before a mischievous smirk crossed her features, "and I'm going to have him wear these shorts."

Did I hear her right? She was going to convince Jayfeather to wear those shorts? "Are you serious? He's going to turn that down no questions asked. That's my skankiest pair, I never even wear those."

"He'll agree, after all it's for five novels."

"We'll see," I said, still doubtful Jayfeather of all people would agree to wearing them. "Either way I'll meet you at the track then," I scanned down Lionblaze's list, "I think I'm still missing a few things."

"You're not going to want to miss this," Hollyleaf warned, "If Jayfeather wears these it's going to be hilarious, mark my words Cinderheart!" With that she disappeared, and I breathed a heavy sigh.

I could use a ridiculous looking Jayfeather to bring up my spirits, although I couldn't help but wonder how Lionblaze would react if did ever work up the courage to wear those shorts outside.

I snorted, he'd probably have a heart attack and ask me to change to prevent anyone else from seeing me. If how he reacted to me in the pool situation in the beginning of the year it would be priceless… Maybe I should try the theory out, though not with shorts anywhere near as short as Jayfeather's. Yeah… I'll bring shorts of my own to whatever Lionblaze is planning, just to watch him turn red and get all embarrassed… It'll be worth it.

…

The hallway was quiet, save for the soft pit-pat of flip flops on carpet. We were in the dorm section of the Thunder sector, and aside from occasional snippets of conversation that drifted out of some of the rooms, we didn't really hear anything. I pushed open the heavy smoke doors and stepped into the Thunder connective, putting my hand before my eyes. The sunlight pouring in through the floor length windows was a far cry from the relatively dim Thunder hall.

We strolled through the Central sector, past the hospital wing, gym, library, office, and Dining Hall. Finally, we approached a door at the end of the corridor, the plaque on the side reading _Pool._ I was about to push open the doors when I noticed that a laminated sheet of paper had been tacked to the door. It read: _Attention. The pool has been closed temporarily, to be reopened 2/15/64. Thank you._

I tossed my pool bag over my shoulder, feeling disappointed. "Awww", I grumbled. "And today of all days. Let's go back." I turned to see Lionblaze shooting me the biggest, widest, cheshire cat grin I had ever seen in my life. I took a step back. "Woah", I remarked. "What's got you so cheerful? C'mon, there's no point standing around, it's clearly closed."

Cue widening of said grin. Then, making sure I saw exactly what he was doing, he pressed his hand against the lock screen next to the door, the underside of his hand glowed blue as the computer scanned his palm. I raised an eyebrow. A mechanical female voice intoned, " _Access granted",_ and with that, the door slid open.

He lead the way in, me on his heels. "Somehow I get the feeling Firestar was involved in this", I remarked.

Smirk. "Maybe."

The pool was exactly as I remembered it, a spacious room with wide windows. I slipped off my flip flops, letting the heated tiles warm my soles as I made my way to one of the poolside recliners. I set my bag down on the recliner, and shimmied out of my clothes, draping shirt and jacket over the armrest. I was dressed in a dark blue triangle top with thick straps, the fabric held together in the center by a white ring. The shorts I left on. The very same shorts, gauzy white with the blue stripe down the sides, which Jayfeather had handed back to me after the race, his face bright red.

I ran a hand through my hair to somewhat tame it, and threw it up into a high messy bun. My classic white headband I left on, the thin strip of fabric keeping my hair out of my face.

As I waited for Lionblaze, I dipped my feet into the steaming jacuzzi, letting the hot water work its wonders. Training the other day had left me a sore wreck, and the soothing heat was more than welcome. I laid back like that, my legs in the foaming, churning water, my back resting on the hot tiles.

By then Lionblaze had finished. He was dressed in dark red swimming trunks, dual black stripes wrapping around each leg opening. I tilted my head to the side to look at him. He was tan. Tan to the point where he was practically bronze. How he did it, I have no idea, seeing as no one in the school gets much actual sun exposure and Bluestar crushed the idea of a tanning salon without so much as batting an eyelash. He was lean and broad shouldered, muscular, but not excessively so. But what caught my eye were the scars.

So many scars. His collection had impressively grown since my first pool visit.

Some looked like the standard laceration, others looked like the results of blunt force, yet others looked more unusual. The pattern of one of them seemed to almost feather out, where another looked suspiciously like a lash from a whip. One in particular was uneven and jagged. It looked like someone had tried to _claw_ him. Something I noticed was that all the stranger, harder to explain injuries seemed to be located in places that were generally easier to hide, like the back or upper thighs.

Was that intentional?

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

I averted my eyes, staring at the floor as Cinderheart looked me over. She didn't say anything, but I knew what she was thinking.

The scars.

I felt myself burn in shame. She knew very well where these injuries were from. I waited for the scathing remarks I was sure were coming, the disgust, or the fear...but she did none of it. Instead, she patted the spot next to her on the jacuzzi's edge.

"Sit down, the water's great!"

I walked, feeling numb, and wordlessly slid into the jacuzzi next to her. I dangled my calves in front of one of the hot water jets, letting it massage the sore muscle.

In that moment, I glanced over at Cinderheart, who was doing the same. She was dressed in a dark blue two piece bathing suit, and had her hair thrown up in a high messy bun, her standard headband keeping her bangs out of her face.

I found that her swimsuit suited her rather well. It was a simple, athletic looking triangle top, each piece fastened to a white ring at the center of her chest. The shorts...dear StarClan.

They were the same shorts Jayfeather had worn earlier that day, in all their flashy, revealing glory. She caught me looking and shot me the biggest shit-eating grin possible, to which I promptly reacted by flushing a rather alarming shade of dark red.

I found myself fully empathizing with Briarlight as I attempted not to stare at Cinderheart and her long, toned legs.

A snickering giggle broke me out of my stupor. Cinderheart had a hand before her mouth and looked like she was trying very hard to suppress her laughter. I took the moment to explain myself.

"I know that the last few months have been pretty stressful for you, so I _might_ have talked Firestar into reserving the pool for us, so we can just chill out without the others being obnoxious." She grinned knowingly.

"Train cab incident?"

"That, among other things. So…..success? And surprise?"

She intertwined our fingers, smiling. "A few hours of peace sounds amazing right about now."

I rubbed a wet hand through my hair. "I have something else planned for later tonight, but I think I'll keep that to myself for now." She rolled her eyes. "Fine, keep your secrets", she said teasingly.

"Okay, okay. Let's compromise. Ask me anything, and I'll answer it."

Cinderheart's lips quirked into a smile and she scooted closer, moving around the edge of the jacuzzi toward me, "When's your birthday?"

"April 24th. What about you?"

"December 26th. What's your favorite movie?"

"You're a winter baby? That's not what I was expecting at all! My favorite's the first Avengers movie." I laughed at Cinderheart's roll of her eyes, "I know it's really old by now but hey, it's the perfect action movie classic."

Cinderheart giggled a little, "Sure Mr. Superhero, least favorite school subject?"

"Math," I said flatly. "I can't stand trig."

"Me either admittedly," Cinderheart admitted, "Although my least favorite is clan history with Mousefur." She shuddered and mock widened her eyes with horror, "That class is comparable to inhaling chloroform. Actually, I bet it could put a chronic insomniac to sleep."

I laughed, knowing exactly what she was talking about it."True, but at least you can sleep in Mousefur's class _without_ getting beat up. She just kinda glares at you." I spoke from experience. Mousefur generally let you sleep (unless your name was Foxleap) but made you regret later by asking you questions about the material you missed in front of everyone. Sandstorm, on the other hand, took it upon herself to make sure her students stayed awake. Through any means necessary. I found out early in the year that she had a particular fondness for rolled up workbooks and especially white board erasers.

Cinderheart giggled, "True, Sandstorm smacks you over the head at least once every class."

"Only because I have math class right before it so my brain's toast by the time I get there." I shot back indignantly, "And Hollyleaf's always elbowing you in biology because you're practically half asleep."

Cinderheart's cheeks were flushed, both from being called out on her habit of dozing in Cinderpelt's class, and from the heat of the jacuzzi. "I try to stay awake, but I have Mousefur's class before bio so staying awake is practically impossible."

I grinned, "It can't be worse than Foxleap taking a nap during Yellowfang's lecture and getting woken up by an airhorn."

Cinderheart burst into laughter, giggling, " _That's_ what the airhorn noise was?"

After a while, the conversation shifted from our classes to our soccer coach. "Ashfur really didn't have any mercy the other day", Cinderheart remarked, letting the water jet massage her legs as she did. I felt somewhat bad, since she was: a) not back up to full strength and b) probably unused to Ashfur's notoriously difficult workouts. "He hasn't made us use the resistance bands in a long time. What color did he assign you?", I asked.

"Only red, since I'm still technically injured. You?"

I grimaced. "Black band."

She snickered. "I bet you had a fun time."

Lionblaze groaned. "My legs are killing me now. Not to mention that I was waddling all over the place. I felt like a goddamn penguin."**

By now, she was howling in laughter. "I remember that! You could barely walk, Toadstep practically carried you off the field!" "Hey!", I sputtered indignantly, "Cut me some slack, my legs were practically dead by the time we finished!"

But she just kept laughing, bending over, clutching her stomach. I rose. "That's it", I declared, and pulled her right out of the jacuzzi and into the air. Her hysterical laughter increased tenfold, until she realized what I was planning.

I had carried her to edge of the freezing cold pool.

"Oh my Stars, you jerk, don't you dare!", she howled, still laughing, her arms flailing in every which direction. "LIONBLAZE!" I stopped right on the edge, extending her over the water. I could practically feel the chill from here.

"Whoops."

With that, I dropped her, However, I hadn't been expecting her to seize my wrist and yank me down into the pool with her. There was a terrific splash as we both plunged into the water, the icy chill momentarily stealing my breath. I felt myself drifting to the bottom of the pool, and then pushed off the bottom, Cinderheart only a little ahead of me. When I broke the surface and whipped my head to one side to get my hair out of my face, only to get a mouthful of chlorinated water from a full in the face splash by my girlfriend.

"Hey!" I complained, coughing and dispelling the water from my lungs while also fixing her with a revenge promising glare.

She immediately caught the drift and dove underwater, headed for the nearest pool edge. She scrambled out.

"Get back here, you cheater!" I forced myself to focus on my revenge despite how Cinderheart's swimsuit and shorts were clinging to her body with water, and hastened after her. "It's only fair!"

"No it's not!" Cinderheart raced around the pool room, dodging my attempts of grabbing her, "You're the one who dumped me in there!"

"And you pulled me with you!" I shot back and put on a burst of speed, catching her around the waist and walking backward toward the pool. "It's my turn to splash you, so get in the water Cinder!" With those words and a playfully struggling Cinderheart in my arms, I leapt backward into the water, taking her with me.

…

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

We dragged ourselves out of the water, worn out and soaked the bone. I silently thanked StarClan that the pool room was warm, or I would have been freezing right about now. I towelled my hair, then rubbed the moisture off the rest of my body. I was tired. My muscles ached. At this point, all I wanted was to unwind and relax. I voiced these thoughts to Lionblaze, who was attempting to rub the chlorine out of his eyes.

"The pool has an adjoining sauna", he informed me. "We could go use that. Plus it's empty right now, which is a bonus. Usually it's full of weirdos."

That was all it took to convince me. I grabbed a water bottle out of my pool bag, pulled on my flip flops, and followed Lionblaze.

He led me through an arched door nestled between the locker rooms, and down a short hall. The room we ended up in was windowless but well lit, as well as large and spacious, with heated wooden flooring and white walls. One side of the room was covered in lockers for personal items, where the other side led off to a pair of bathrooms. There was a long marble counter along the walls with a large mirror and two sinks. A pair of wooden benches stood back to back in the center of the room.

The sauna was located at the far side of the room, and was sealed off through a sliding glass door. Just outside of it stood a pail and ladle.

I deposited my phone, water, and flip flops on the counter outside the sauna, then stepped up to the glass doors. The wall next to the sauna was plastered with signs. One listed the potential dangers of overexposure, where others held information on how to use it, such as how to set the temperature, ect. One poster reading " _All users are required to wear coverage in appropriate areas, thank you"_ caused me to giggle slightly.

"You think it's funny", Lionblaze said solemnly. "But we've had the occasional person try to come in here naked. I mean, I know that's how you traditionally use a sauna, but this is a unisex school, soooooooo…."

Still grinning, I slid open the door and was immediately hit with a blast of heat. Lionblaze slid the door shut behind us. The air inside was hot and dry, not to mention rather stuffy. In the dim light, I looked at my surroundings. The chamber's walls were paneled with planks of wood, and tiered wooden benches rose from the floor to near the low ceiling. A heater, the top covered in rocks, stood in the corner.

The entire room smelled strongly of heated wood, not a necessarily unpleasant smell. I reclined on one of the benches, and let the heat do it's work.

…

We had been sitting in the sauna for a while, exchanging light banter, and chances are the heat started getting to us. I felt loose and relaxed, having practically melted into a puddle on my bench. I had gotten up to get water twice.

The conversation came out of nowhere.

"Lionblaze?"

"Hm?"

"How….how did you get those scars?"

The strawberry blond had a towel hanging around his neck, which he used to wipe drips of sweat from his face. His voice was quiet and low, and his hand rose to rest on the claw mark scar on his upper back. "I...I got this scar when I first joined. My siblings, especially Hollyleaf, kind of had a bit of a goody-two-shoes reputation, not to mention that I'm Firestar's grandson. The Dark Forest elites, especially Mapleshade, didn't trust me."

He took a deep breath. "So Brokenstar proposed a solution. In order to prove my loyalty, I would have to undergo a test. Either take the wounds, or get kicked out. I was an idiot freshman who _really_ wanted to join. Obviously, I chose the test." He trailed a finger down one of the gashes, running over the tough, raised tissue. "Mapleshade cut my shoulder open. She said it looked like the claw marks from a tiger. Said I looked like a 'proper Dark Forest member now'." He laughed bitterly. The sound, malicious and angry, wasn't one I'd ever heard from Lionblaze before. It wasn't one I'd ever want to hear from him again.

"How do you hide all these scars?", I asked, disbelieving. "Some of these…..just wow." He ran a hand through his sweaty bangs, looking at me. "Jayfeather. There are several skin medications and ointments he gave me to keep them covered up. I don't even want to think about what Firestar and Hollyleaf would say if they knew."

"I'm glad you trust me enough to show me these", I said quietly. "Thank you."

I asked questions about the scars, especially the stranger, more painful looking ones that initially caught my attention. Each one had a story. And each story, it seemed, was more gruesome than the next.

I had one final question, though. "Lionblaze….why did you join the Dark Forest?"

He grimaced.

"Because I was jealous." I looked confused, and he threw up his hands. "It sounds stupid, I know. I was jealous of Holly and Jay. They're just so….smart, you know? Hollyleaf's on top of her class in everything, and Jayfeather even got put into the special medic course. They actually have a future after this! Being the soccer captain doesn't mean jack squat outside of high school. I'm just the dumb, muscle-headed sibling. No brains, all brawn." I leaned against him, trying to wordlessly offer all the comfort I could muster.

What he was saying, it hurt, because I'm well aware it's not true. Yeah, he might not be in all honors like Hollyleaf, but he's easily passing everything, unlike some of the other players on the team.

"So I joined up. I thought that if I could fight, if others could learn to be afraid of me, that I would finally have something they didn't. It's stupid. I regret it every time I go to a meeting."

"What about Heathertail? We're safe now, right?"

"Not in the slightest. Actually, chances are we're worse off than before. Now that she's in direct contact with Brokenstar….who knows what she's capable of."

He turned his back to me, the skin glistening with sweat. "There are whip scars on my lower back. Heathertail gave me those. She thought they were hot."

I felt anger at Heathertail bubbling up under my skin, but shook it off and instead leaned against him, choosing to ask a different question. "Nobody's inherently mean, what was she like before the Dark Forest?"

"Before she turned crazy and the fame of being Queen Bee went to her head?" Lionblaze sighed and I looked at him. "She was normal I guess, rather quiet believe it or not. But she's not you," he looked over at me and smiled, "and she will never be you either."

I smiled a little as well at the compliment and took a deep breath of the dry, wood-scented air in the sauna, relaxing a little more.

…

Thank you for doing this," I murmured quietly, swinging my legs in the warm water of the Jacuzzi. After leaving the sauna we had both changed back into our normal clothes, sitting around a little till we eventually decided to leave. Which wasn't just yet.

"I needed it, the peace and quiet."

Lionblaze was sitting next to me, his own legs in the water of the jacuzzi. "I know," he said with a grin, "And now we both feel better. You look considerably less stressed and I no longer feel like a waddling penguin. Although…" He tugged his bag toward him and pulled out a box. "I do have a gift for you, you know, since it's Valentine's Day and all."

I blinked in surprise before hastening to tell him he didn't have to and that I was happy with just being here with him, but as per usual he didn't listen.

"Cinder?"

I blinked and looked at him, "Yeah?" That was the third time he called me by my birth name in three hours.

"Shut up and take the gift," Lionblaze chuckled and I obediently pulled the bow on the box. Neatly folded inside the box was a black sports jacket made of dri-fit athletic material. It wasn't until I examined it closer that I fully recognized it. It was one of the Hexagon soccer team jackets, black with the Hexagon logo in azure blue. Since I joined the team late, I hadn't gotten one of them, something I had been rather disappointed over. I turned it over. Written on the back in azure blue was _Cinder_ and my number, 38.

After a good bit of fangirling and trying the jacket on, I withdrew my own gift from my bag. It was a glossy white box tied with red ribbons. "I know this kind of pales in comparison, but I got you a gift too." Waving my apology away, he unwrapped it, revealing a row of teardrop shaped chocolates. "I wasn't really sure what you liked, so I got a few kinds. Those are caramel, those are strawberry, those right there are hazelnut creme, those are mint, and the two right there are chili pepper because I was feeling creative." I pointed to each of the kinds as I said them.

The strawberry blond picked up a chili pepper chocolate, placed it on his tongue, and chewed thoughtfully. He swallowed the chocolate, "It's really good though, you should try one." He told me to look away, then carefully selected a chocolate. I rolled my eyes at his attitude and put one into my mouth, only for my eyes to widen at the taste that washed over my tongue. Mint chocolate, how did he know?

Lionblaze's smirk widened, "Hollyleaf mentioned your favorite chocolate is mint chocolate. Can't say I'm surprised since you like mint so much." He ticked stuff off on his fingers. "Mint tea, mint shampoo, mint essential oils, the list goes on."

"Okay, I get it", I said exasperatedly. "So I might be a little obsessed with mint, sue me."

"There's something else I wanted to do though."

"Whaa…" I trailed off as Lionblaze lifted his hands and placed them on both sides of my face. "What...are..you doing?" I asked as he leaned toward me and instinctively leaned closer.

"Taking my gift," the blonde replied cheekily. "I figure since I gave you two gifts I get two as well."

"But… what gift…" It clicked in my head and I felt butterflies erupt in my stomach.

He was going to kiss me.

I let him tilt my chin up slightly, my stomach fluttering nervously. He'd kissed me before, once or twice after the whole train incident, but I still felt I sucked at it. Not to mention every time I got nervous and inwardly freaked out beforehand. Knowing that he probably didn't enjoy how inexperienced I was didn't help my nerves.

"Relax," his voice was soft and sent shivers down my spine at the close proximity. Hs breath smelled of strawberry chocolate, and I could feel the warm air brushing over my skin.

I wanted to reply, say something, anything really to help my nerves, but couldn't move. Turns out, I didn't need to as Lionblaze leaned closer and closed the gap between us.

It was just as calming and at the same time heart racing as the first time. In contrast though to the first time, I knew vaguely what I was doing. So I clumsily tried to match his movements through the melted puddle that was my brain at the current moment.

Even with my inexperience compared to Lionblaze's, it was perfect. Warm and soft, sending little fuzzy tingles through my fingers and toes. My skin hummed where Lionblaze's hands rested on both sides of my face, gently guiding me through the still strange and abnormal motions, and I couldn't be happier.

It felt like it lasted forever, but eventually Lionblaze moved back a little, far enough back for me to be able to focus on his face. Able to focus on his soft smile while I felt a little dizzy as I opened my eyes, my lips tingling slightly from his touch.

I felt the sparks again as Lionblaze briefly kissed me again, lingering there for only a few seconds before moving back. Where there was companionable silence between us for a few moments.

"Sorry," I couldn't help but giggle softly, studying his amber eyes while feeling a sheepish smile spreading on my face. "About my lack of skill anyway, I totally suck at this."

"It's cute. If it makes you feel better, you definitely better than I was when I was a freshman. Besides, like everything else, all it really takes is practice." He gestured to himself, and it became pretty clear what he was getting at.

I opened my mouth to speak, only to have nothing come out at my indignance, so instead I huffed, feeling my face burn and pushed him into the hot water of the jacuzzi. Lionblaze being Lionblaze, he obviously couldn't just take it, so before I knew it, I was being dragged into the steaming water with him.

I resurfaced, my hair a mess and drenched all over again, feeling lighter than I had for months.

 **End Chapter 52**

 **I feel like Heathertail and her DF besties ruin literally all remotely fluffy moments.**

 ** **[[Tigercry: So much fluff! My drive to see my OTP is fulfilled! I hope you guys enjoyed the Cinderblaze chapter, we've been working on it together for a little while (even through writers block) and we've only got one Valentines chapter left! Admittedly I'm sad to see it being brought to a close :(]]****

 ****Lionblaze's penguin comment. Resistance bands (at least where I train at) vary in difficulty. From least difficult to most difficult, the order is yellow, green, red, blue, black. The higher up you go, the tighter and stiffer the bands get, and if you're doing a leg workout like the Hexagon soccer team, the more they restrict your movement and make it difficult to walk. And well, if you've ever seen a penguin walk…..well, you get it.**

 **My romance writing skills leave a lot to be desired, so you can imagine my relief when Tigercry took the reins on the more fluffy cute scenes this chapter ::bows:: Thankyouthankyouthankyou so much Tigercry!**

 **ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW** _ **LONG**_ **THIS CHAPTER IS? My usual length is around 7-9 pages (1.5k-2.5k words). This. THIS WAS 30 (7.5k words).**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	53. Dining by Night

**Hexagon**

Chapter 53: Dining by Night

 **I'm sorrryyyyyyyyyy.**

 **I know the update is a week late (again) and I kinda have an excuse? Tigercry has a super important end-of-the-year project and didn't have the time to do much for this chapter. And I….have AP exams I'm supposed to be studying for. Luckily for you, I got tired of studying and decided to go write fanfiction instead. Enough of my whining, thank you to the following fabulous people for their reviews:**

 **-HollyleafML**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-Runereader of the Nightwings (x2) (is that a Wings of Fire reference?)**

 **-Ellabellu**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-ravenclawjaguar**

 **-HeyHowAreYou**

 **-Watermist of WindClan**

 **-EggsBenefits (x3)**

 **-Zoeybug**

 **Thank you guys! On with the fic!**

 **Hazeltail's POV:**

We had wrangled up six of the girls in our group, from sporty Briarlight to classy Half Moon. The only one missing was Cinderheart, and Hollyleaf had been pacing and worrying about it for the past ten minutes.

I on the other hand wasn't that concerned, if Cinderheart said she'd be back at 6, she'd be back at 6, or at least sometime close to that. She was only a few minutes late at this point, and I was standing behind Briarlight, pulling her thick brown hair into a half up half down style.

"Hollyleaf", I said exasperatedly, watching the ravenette prowl anxiously around the room. "If you keep pacing you're going to wear a ditch into the ground. It's Cinderheart, calm down."

"That's why I am worried!", Hollyleaf exclaimed huffily, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing me with a glare. "Cinderheart attracts trouble like Berrynose attracts girls."

"She does not," Briarlight quipped, playfully butting into our conversation, "Cinderheart's not a troublemaker, Hollyleaf."

"She's just got a habit of being at the wrong place at the wrong time," Half Moon piped up, clearly trying to soothe Hollyleaf's nerves.

"Exactly!" Hollyleaf exclaimed and I fought to not roll my eyes again, "Whenever she's not with one of us she gets injured or attacked by Heathertail!"

"Lionblaze is with her," I pointed out and Honeyfern nodded in agreement. "There's no way in hell Lionblaze would let anyone lay a finger on her while he was around."

Those seemed to be the right things to say as Hollyleaf stopped pacing (finally!) and settled on standing there fidgeting slightly.

Not a moment later the door clicked into being unlocked and the missing girl stepped into the room. "See you later Blaze," Cinderheart waved to the blonde boy who was beginning to head toward his dorm and shut the door behind her.

"Great StarClan," the words slipped out of my mouth without thinking as I gawked at the mess of a girl in front of me.

"Cinderheart! What happened to YOU?", Hollyleaf asked, seizing her friend by the shoulders and dragging her further inside the room.

Standing near the door of the dorm room and hastily dressed in a rumpled maroon t-shirt and sweatpants was Cinderheart. Her usually sleek silver hair was a frizzy, chlorine ridden mess, and her skin looked rather clammy from the chemicals in the pool water.

"You're a mess! What did you do do your hair?" Hollyleaf huffed and started pushing the silver haired girl across the room toward the bathroom.

Despite how messy her appearance was, I didn't think I had seen Cinderheart as happy as she looked right now for a long time. She had lost some of her spark after the events at the Festival. The lively, carefree Cinderheart was one I had not seen in a long time, and the sheepish smile she gave Hollyleaf was genuine but totally not sorry.

"Wait, don't answer that. My brother." A nod. "Good grief. You realize the dinner is literally in a hour right?" Another nod. Hollyleaf groaned and shoved Cinderheart into the bathroom. "Go wash the chemicals out," she said, shutting the door behind her.

She then turned to us. "Girls, we have an emergency situation on our hands."

Determined grins were exchanged between me, Honeyfern, and Half Moon, only to have our determined and serious moment broken by Briarlight giving a snort of laughter behind her hands. I hadn't noticed she had started holding back laughter since Cinderheart walked in till now.

"Briarlight?" Half Moon asked curiously, "what's so funny?" We heard the shower in the other room being turned up, and Cinderheart's signature mint steam began wafting out under the bathroom door.

Briarlight stifled another snort of laughter, sky blue eyes reflected by the mirror in front of us glittering with laugher. She stood up and moved her hands away from her mouth. She grinned lopsidedly, saying, "Nothing, nothing", as she waved off Half Moon's confusion. Her shoulders shook with silent laughter as she remarked, "Don't worry about it."

I stared at her in confusion while in the meantime, Hollyleaf dug through her closet. She pulled out several hair products, coconut oil, and five or six different hair brushes.

Before long, Cinderheart emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a baggy tank top and shorts. Her hair was tied up in a messy knot at the back of her head.

Briarlight and Half Moon practically pounced on her, Briarlight still struggling to keep from laughing, and within seconds she had been shoved in the chair in front of the vanity where Briarlight had been minutes earlier.

Sighing, Cinderheart rolled her eyes and took her hair out of the bun, "Alright guys, knock yourselves out."

Cinderheart's hair went through multiple stages. It went from wet tangles to being smooth and damp, then to poofy post-blow dryer, and eventually, returned to normal. As soon as her hair emergency was resolved, we moved on to other matters, such as our own appearances.

…

"I swear to StarClan, Briarlight, if you don't stop moving I'll stab you in the eye with the damn mascara wand."

"Sorryyyyy", the brunette whined and fidgeted for the twentieth time. "You're taking forever. Can't you go faster? Or just let me do it myself?"

"Unless you want to have racoon eyes," I said slowly before grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to sit still, "You're going to sit your butt down on this chair and stop moving, for Star's sake!"

"Here," Half Moon stepped over and away from Cinderheart to put her hands firmly down on Briarlight's shoulders. Effectively keeping her still. "You need to get used to sitting still and getting your makeup done Briarlight, you're still so bad at it."

"I like to run, not sit still being poked by makeup products," Briarlight huffed indignantly and I cracked a grin. For such a mature girl Briarlight was nothing short of childish tomboy with anything makeup related.

"Come on Briarlight," Half Moon cajoled her. "You'll look fantastic."

"I'm already fantastic!" Briarlight shot back.

Hollyleaf remarked teasingly, "Careful, your ego's showing." In that moment, Briarlight's foot shot up and hit Hollyleaf in the shin.

"Owwwwww", the ravenette whined. "That was mean."

As they bickered, I marveled at the fact that Briarlight had put on any makeup at all. The chestnut haired runner makes a point out of going barefaced. She finds makeup uncomfortable and a pain in the ass to apply, not to mention that all the sweat from running makes it melt off of her face. As a matter of fact, many of Hexagon's female athletes opt to go barefaced for those very reasons.

Briarlight glared at the mascara wand in my hands, making a face and muttering curses. She thankfully sat still as I finished working on her eye makeup. Once done, I screwed the lid back onto the mascara tube, then stepped back to admire my work. The look I had gone for was relatively simple, the classic winged eyeliner and a smokey lid.

"Not bad", I said approvingly. "I think I got the eyeliner symmetrical." Briarlight examined her makeup in the mirror and pulled a wonky face at the amount of cosmetics on her face, and Half Moon giggled at her reaction.

I smiled, noticing the triumphant look in Briarlight's eyes at making her best friend laugh and smile after the events that had happened this afternoon. Briarlight looked at me through the mirror and grinned cheekily before she cocked her head and poked her tongue out at me. Succeeding in further increasing Half Moon's laughter.

Finally Hollyleaf stepped out of the bathroom in her dress, the same gorgeous royal blue dress that Fallen Leaves had given her that morning (the one she hadn't stopped talking about).

"Oh. My. Stars!", Cinderheart squealed and jumped to her feet. "It looks so good on you! Hold up." She whipped out her phone and snapped a picture. "Just wait until I send this to Fallen Leaves, he's going t-".

Half Moon plucked the silverette's phone from her hands, a smile on her gentle face. "Don't ruin the surprise! I can't wait to see his face when he sees Hollyleaf in that."

Cinderheart snickered, and slid her phone back into her pocket.

"Point." Hollyleaf rolled her eyes in amusement and smiled happily and twirled, letting the fabric swish up around her, much to the delight of the other girls.

The next person to step out of the bathroom was Cinderheart. Instead of a dress Cinderheart had gone with a more unusual approach, and came out wearing a pair of flare-legged dress pants paired with a silky teal top. Tasteful silver earrings dangled from her ears. A silver charm bracelet had been fastened around her wrist, and after some thought I recognized the piece of jewelry. It was the one she had worn on her first day. She posed, suede ballet flats and all, playfully smiling at us all, "don't I look fabulous?"

Half Moon giggled. "Definitely unusual, you and Icecloud are probably the only people I know who would wear pants to a dance Cinderheart. It suits you though, much better than a dress would." Cinderheart playfully raised her eyebrows and straightened out of her pose, "Don't forget Ivypool. Ivypool, Icecloud, and I can and totally will rock pants instead of a dress."

The next person to get changed was Briarlight, dressed in a burnt orange wrap style dress with dark brown ribbon trim. It was tied with a simple bow at the right side of her waist, and fell softly just past her knees. An orange flower was tucked into one of the tiny braids behind her ears.

Halfmoon's dress was a sleek wine red sheath style dress that clung flatteringly to every curve, with faint dark rose designs embroidered into the sleek fabric. Her silky blonde hair was styled into an elaborate braid, her bangs held out of her face by an artificial rose flower crown. A gold necklace rested snugly between her collarbones.

I was the last person to get changed, and I took my sweet time. At first, I had been considering the pale yellow floral print dress I had worn at the Spring Festival.

It had been a last minute decision on my part, but I had had one of my favorite dresses from home delivered on the morning shuttle instead. I grabbed my bag and took it with me to the bathroom, where away from prying eyes, I extracted my dress.

It was a rich butter yellow with a sweetheart neckline, a metal ring set in the middle of the top. A strap of fabric went around my neck to connect with the ring and help support the rest of the dress. A white belt went around my waistline. From there down, the fabric flared out into a swishy skirt. I did my hair, putting the pre-styled curls into a high ponytail and pinning my bangs out of my face.

When I stepped back out of the bathroom, I'm positive Hollyleaf actually screamed. A loud knock came from the far wall, accompanied with a concerned, "Is everything okay in there?" We all immediately succumbed to giggles.

Choking through her laughs, Half Moon shouted, "We're fine!".

The other girls looked me over, stroking their fingers along my dress and speaking admiringly. "No wonder you had it flown up from Earth", Cinderheart said in awe. "It's absolutely gorgeous. And you look good in it, Foxleap will be all over you."

I smiled shyly, and checked the clock. 6:40. The boys would be showing up any minute. Just then, I heard a rap on the door, and hurried over to open it. The heavy doors slid to the side, and Lionblaze and Foxleap practically fell in. Jayfeather, on the other hand, calmly avoided the other two and strolled into the dorm like he owned the place.

Fallen Leaves was the only one who behaved normally, and actually walked in without making a scene. Behind the three of them stood Icecloud with Toadstep, Honeyfern with Berrynose, and Bumblestripe, who was accompanied by Tigerheart. I raised my eyebrow at the Shadow's presence, I didn't see him too much.

The walk to the Grand Room was loud and energetic. Surprisingly, Foxleap didn't partake in any of the shenanigans, instead opting to walk by my side. "Damn, Hazel", he said, smiling. "You look good."

"Same goes for you." I nodded at him. He was dressed in a white button up, the collar loosened, and a pair of gray slacks. "I'm surprised you even own clothes like that." He leaned in close, then whispered in my ear, "I may have ordered them last minute." I laughed. "As to be expected."

We arrived at the Grand Room after a few minutes, and found that it was already crowded. Gone were the Halloween themed decorations from earlier that year. Instead, the room was decked out in the classic Valentine's Day decor. An ornate chandelier replaced the classic spooky iron one. White and pink drapes instead of the moth bitten curtains, elegant banquet tables instead of the medieval one, vases full of flowers instead of the leering gargoyles. The school orchestra was performing love themed music on an elevated wooden platform.

A group of Hexagon servants in their crisp white blazers were hurrying about, setting down tableware. I gasped in awe, letting my eyes travel around the room. The rose-colored light from the setting sun cast itself in through the wide windows, catching the crystals in the chandelier and making the room glow. The soft light shed through the room, and the sunset-pink stained cloud cover outside the windows made for a rather romantic atmosphere.

The room itself, aside from all the students in their fancy clothes, was full of circular banquet tables. Each table seated about ten people, and was decked out in the full Valentine's Day getup. White and rose colored tablecloth, a vase of artificial flowers in the center, the whole shebang.

We took our seats. At our table were Hollyleaf, Fallen Leaves, Lionblaze, Cinderheart, Briarlight, Half Moon, Jayfeather, Foxleap, and I. The one extra seat was utilized by the girls, who gladly took the opportunity to dump their purses on the empty space. Why we bothered with purses I have no idea, seeing as our rooms are literally a two minute walk away. Natural instinct, I suppose.

Bumblestripe, Tigerheart, Honeyfern, Berrynose, Toadstep, Icecloud, Ivypool, and several other members of the soccer team took the neighboring table. Icecloud and Honeyfern waved manaically over at us, where Ivypool managed a terse smile and nodded in acknowledgement.

Ivypool's like that, and a bit of an interesting case. I consider her part of the group, even though she doesn't say much and is rather closed off. It makes it difficult to read her emotions and tell what she's thinking, even for me. And that's saying something. I'm known for being able to understand people's emotions rather well and therefore being able to gauge what is needed to help them feel better.

Ivypool...she's an exception.

It must be force of habit. It's well known in at Hexagon that Ivypool was heavily involved with the Dark Forest. There...any sign of emotion is a weakness, no exceptions.

I cleared my head of the unpleasant thoughts and focused back on the table and at my friends with a smile. Cinderheart was gazing around the room in wonderment, her hands brushing imaginary dust off of her silky teal blouse. "Holy shit, they really went all out", she remarked, breathless. "I mean, the tableware alone probably cost a fortune."

In that moment, Briarlight glanced over at Foxleap, who was balancing a stack of silver knives on his index finger. "Is it really safe to leave him unsupervised around breakable items?", she asked mildly from where she was sitting on Jayfeather's left side.

"He's fine, can't cut himself with a butter knife," Jayfeather shrugged and I stifled laughter as the blind boy appeared more relaxed than I had ever seen him.

Lionblaze leaned back in his chair, tugging at the collar of his button

while resting his arm across the back of Cinderheart's chair. "My guess is they feel bad for sweeping the Winter Holidays under the rug", he remarked. "So they pulled out all the stops on this."

In that moment, Sandstorm, garbed in a maroon wrap around dress strode up to the dance floor, positioning herself right in front of the orchestra. The playing stopped immediately. She rubbed her hands together, the golden bracelets on her wrists jangling playfully to match her mood.

"Alrighty, what a turnout!", she called. "I'm so glad all of you came! This is our first year doing a Valentine's Day event, and Bluestar and I thought it called for something different." She looked around the room evilly, and her eyes landed on a certain ginger haired Thunder teacher in the back of the room. "Firestar!", she called cheerfully. "Come on up!"

He groaned. "This again? Surely you can find another dance partner, Sandstorm?"

"Don't give it away!", she chirped. "But I'm sure everyone heard it. This year, everyone….ballroom dancing! Firestar and I will teach you the basic steps for the waltz, and then we'll see you try. Of course, if you know any other ballroom dances, such as the foxtrot, swing, rumba, or cha cha, feel free to do those, too."

She stayed true to her word. With Firestar weakly protesting despite the smile on his face, she showed us basic steps for the waltz, then sent us off to the dance floor. Several pairs hit their stride right away,

Fallen Leaves and Hollyleaf being one of them. Hollyleaf had admitted on multiple occasions to having been educated in ballroom dancing when she was younger, and those skills payed off now.

Her two brothers showed the results of that training too. I guessed their parents had decided to put them all through dancing lessons.

It didn't even take five minutes for Foxleap to bust out his own dance moves. He did almost everything in the books, from the moonwalk to actual twerking. Another five minutes later and the ballroom dancing was completely gone in favor for a room wide conga line, lead by Foxleap, of course. The teachers didn't care, surprisingly. At one point, Squirrelflight and several of the other younger teachers even joined in on the dance.

Lionblaze and Cinderheart were standing a little ways away from Foxleap and the conga line, whispering to each other and casting amused looks over at the rest of our group.

…

 **Briarlight's POV:**

I hobbled off the dance floor, nursing my blistering heels. You would have thought I'd have learned my lesson about wearing ridiculous shoes at the last dance, but no. I sat down at the table and started removing my shoes. I had opted for a strappy pair of platform wedge sandals. I liked the shoes a great deal, especially the rose gold shade and cute white soles. What I didn't like was the welts the straps tended to leave on my feet.

I finally got them off and began plastering band-aids over the welts. It was in this moment that I was immensely grateful that I had thought to bring flats.

It wasn't long before the other girls began to join me. Half Moon took her seat next to me, and kicked off her own shoes, a pair of peep toed pumps in metallic red. The other girls did the same. The only one who seemed to be fine was Cinderheart, who had had the sense to wear flats.

In the rush to get seated, I hadn't noticed the servers. They had made their way back into the room, their pristine white blazers standing out among the students. It wasn't long before one of them had made their way to our table. She was a tall, broad shouldered woman with very pale skin and waist length black hair. She leaned over and slid a tablet across the table.

"Table 34?", she inquired in a soft, melodic voice. I took one look at the marker on our table and nodded. "This can be used to view the menu for tonight. Once you have chosen, please send your order. Thank you." She bowed, black hair swishing forward slightly, and moved to inform our neighboring table.

We didn't waste any time ordering. We crowded around the tablet, commenting on the different foods available and eventually making our choices. I took it upon myself to read the menu aloud to Jayfeather.

…

The ice cubes clinked loudly as the dark haired server set down a jug, the chilled water sloshing gently against the marbled blue glass. She removed our plates from the serving tray, and carefully placed each plate in front of us. "Please enjoy", she uttered serenely, and made her way back to the kitchens.

I slid a forkful of the food into my mouth, and hummed thoughtfully. "Wow, they really pulled out all the stops", I remarked. Hollyleaf looked up, then gestured to the food on her own plate. "Daisy only ever uses this recipe for special occasions. I don't even remember the last time I had this." At the mention of the cheerful, matchmaking chef, I turned to look to the kitchens. Sure enough, Daisy was standing at the door, still dressed in those ridiculous cupid wings. She met my eye, and waved, smiling.

The boys plus Hazeltail, unsurprisingly, steadily ate their way through several portions of food. Foxleap had put his head together with Bumblestripe and Tigerheart at the neighboring table and was (loudly) scheming to order every dessert on the menu. Lionblaze had finished up his third helping of roast beef and was reaching for the tablet to order dessert. Cinderheart was watching him, looking envious. "How are you not fat?", she asked flatly. The strawberry blond shrugged, grinned, then placed an order for a slice of chocolate torte.

Berrynose, who was sitting at the neighboring table, seemingly heard this exchange, because he pulled up a chair to our table. "Speaking of which, Blaze", he remarked. "I challenge you to a test. A test of strength." The word 'challenge' certainly got Lionblaze's attention. He set down the tablet, and slowly turned in his chair to face his chestnut haired teammate.

There was a teasing smirk playing across his face as he drawled, "Oh? Do go on." Berrynose was grinning right back. "I have a bet going with those two", he gestured to Foxleap and Bumblestripe, who were squabbling over cheesecake at the neighboring table, "if I beat you, they both owe me fifty. If I lose, I have to wear Honeyfern's cheerleading uniform and serenade Ashfur in it."

Lionblaze was busy clearing all the porcelain plates off the table. "So the stakes are pretty high then." Berrynose nodded, grinning. "A hundred Univs is a good bit of cash. I could always use the boost."

I watched as Lionblaze and Berrynose each put their elbows down on the rose colored tablecloth, obviously preparing to arm wrestle. I had no idea who would come out on top. They were both evenly matched. Cinderheart was resting her chin on her palm, and was watching the boys' antics with mild interest on her face. Honeyfern stood next to her, and was mouthing the words 'cheerleader' and 'serenade' at Berrynose.

I rose from my chair, and stood in between them, where their hands were clasped. "I'll ref", I announced. "Ready." Determined glares. "Set." Grips tightening, as if they were trying to crush each other's hands. "Go!"

Watching two evenly matched people arm wrestle is somewhat hilarious, since they're both trying so hard but seem to be going nowhere. This was that situation. Lionblaze was tilting his wrist and was applying pressure on Berrynose's hand from above. I winced when I saw Berrynose's wrist bend backwards, it looked like it hurt.

I watched the match idly for another few minutes, occasionally making comments such as "Lionblaze, if you keep lifting your elbows you lose" and "Berrynose, kicking him under the table doesn't count". The other spectators were starting to get kinda bored, too. Then, after five minutes or so had passed, Cinderheart strolled over, and planted a solid kiss on Lionblaze's left cheek.

The strawberry blond turned bright red, lost all focus, and immediately got his hand slammed into the table by Berrynose. Gesturing at Berrynose, I declared, "Winner!"

"WHAT? No way, I demand a rematch!" But Berrynose was already calling over to Foxleap and Bumblestripe, "I beat the team captain, you both owe me fifty!"

Lionblaze cursed, stood up, and started putting the plates back on the table. To Cinderheart he said, "That was _mean._ You owe me dessert." I leaned into Jayfeather's shoulder, watching the shenanigans from my spot.

"Should I mention the food is free of additional charge?", I whispered to Jayfeather. "Nah", he snickered. "It's more fun this way."

…

 **Half Moon's POV:**

I'm not going to lie.

Watching Jayfeather and Briarlight acting so nauseatingly couple-y hurt. I didn't know what to think. What to feel. What to do. Should I pull a Heathertail, acting like the stereotypical mean girl and doing everything in my power to ruin their relationship? No. Of course not. There was no way in hell I could do something like that to Briarlight, who I had known ever since 2nd grade. She was the one to befriend me when I had arrived at school as the weird new kid from Pruick, the neighboring country.

I was an outsider back then. That was easy to see, just from my rather different name alone.

Not only are we best friends, but I owe her so much. I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I betrayed her over something as trivial as a guy. I had still been immersed in my thoughts as Briarlight rose and excused herself for the bathroom. I gazed after her, watching her burnt orange dress disappear among crowds of people.

"I'm sorry."

Jayfeather turned, the surprise written all over his features.

"What?"

"For earlier. For running out crying and causing a scene. For being pushy, not to mention rude to both you and Briarlight. For everything."

Jayfeather's hand came up to run through his hair, threading his fingers through the dyed blue streak. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. I've been leading you on, and that's not fair to you or Briarlight. I'm a real piece of shit sometimes."

I almost spat out my cake.

"It feels like all I've been doing is trying to get between you and Briarlight. I might as well have gotten a boob job and changed my name to Heathertail."

He laughed. "Please don't, one Heathertail in the world is more than enough." We sat there, laughing out loud, eating cake. I let my eyes roam around the room, and they landed on Minnowtail. The short, muscular girl was standing on the other side of the room, all dolled up in a ruffled pink dress. The corners of her painted lips were pulled up in a spiteful smile, and her calculating blue eyes were fixed right on us. What the hell…?

…

"That was hands-down the best food I've had in awhile."

"The food? The decorations, the music, the dancing! Oh my Stars, it was soooo romantic…"

"Briarlight, if you spout any more of that romance crap, I'm going to get fluff-induced cavities."

"You're just grumpy because you lost to Berrynose."

I walked alongside my friends with my arms crossed thoughtfully in front of me, tuning out the banter, my mind elsewhere.

Minnowtail.

Dovewing.

Poppyfrost.

Heathertail?

Something wasn't adding up. There was something foul at Hexagon, something festering under the surface, eating at the school from the inside. The Dark Forest was preparing for something, that I was sure of. And if I didn't figure it out soon, I had a feeling we would all become involved in the worst way possible.

 **End Chapter 53**

 **What a way to end this otherwise lovely and cheerful chapter. It wasn't on the agenda, but the last few bits kind of wrote themselves. When the muse calls, who am I to deny her?**

 **Thank you Tigercry, for all the help she gave me with this arc (I almost don't want to admit how much I struggled on my own)**

 **Reviews? :3**


	54. Flight

**Hexagon**

Chapter 54: Flight

 **Guess who actually updated on time? Me~!**

 **Thank you to the following people for their reviews:**

 **-Runereader of the Nightwings**

 **-HollyleafML**

 **-Zoeybug**

 **-Guest**

 **-Mapledusk**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Guest**

 **Thanks guys, it's much appreciated. On with the fic!**

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

I didn't think I would ever be happy to see Brokenstar.

I was kneeling on the bloodied sand, a girl about my age pinned down under my weight. I know a noob when I see one. The clumsy way she had used her spear made it obvious immediately that she had no idea what she was doing. The girl was drifting in and out of consciousness, the knot on her head slick with blood.

"Finish her", came Mapleshade's gleeful voice from behind me. "Put her to sleep, pretty boy." Mapleshade was enjoying this. Her eyes, practically alight with excitement, were fixed on the sobbing girl. I hesitantly raised one of my shock batons, steeling myself for what would happen next.

"Do it, boy!", Mapleshade barked harshly. "What are you waiting for, a written invitation?"

"Enough. Calm down Mapleshade, you are behaving like a child." It was Brokenstar. He strode onto the middle of the sandy battle area, his eyes fixed on me. "Lionblaze. Walk with me." I glanced back at Mapleshade. She was breathing heavily, eyes burning. Her grayish tongue flicked out to moisten chapped lips.

She looked like a rabid animal. Downright insane.

Shuddering, and for the first time in my life, actually thankful for Brokenstar's presence, I followed him.

…

Brokenstar lead me out the main room into the back hallways of the Dark sector, our footsteps echoing in the unnerving quiet. It was a long time before either of us spoke.

"You know, Lionblaze...you have long been one of my most talented and promising recruits." He looked at me through the corner of his eye, as if trying to gauge my reaction. Noticing this, I left my face impassive and blank. "You have something in you, boy. Something wicked. Something powerful. Something…. _monstrous._ " I felt bile starting to rise up into my mouth, the disgusting, burning taste overwhelming my senses. I prayed for Brokenstar to stop talking, to just keep his mouth shut, but of course, he didn't.

"Your speed, the vicious brutality you possess, could very well be a valuable asset to the Dark Forest." I recalled the fight earlier, when I had taken down the girl. The move I had used had been so fast, so purposely well timed that she had hardly felt any pain. Brokenstar seemed oblivious.

He led me through another hallway, and finally, through a large, soundproof pair of double doors. Inside was a metallic table. Seated at it, the Dark Forest elites.

Mapleshade was there, too. I assumed she had left shortly after I did to make the meeting. She was seated with the other advisors Tigerstar and Hawkfrost at the head end of the table, near Brokenstar's chair. I scanned the other sneering faces, and immediately saw other people I knew. Snowtuft. Shredtail. Darkstripe. And even more I couldn't be bothered to name. The most vicious people at Hexagon, all in one place. And among them? _Heathertail._

She looked right in her element, dressed in a sleeveless black v-neck and skin-tight black pants. With it, a pair of ridiculously high heeled boots. But this wasn't what stood out to me. There, coiled in an almost snake-like fashion at her waist, was a whip. A brand new whip. No doubt Brokenstar had replaced her old one when Firestar had confiscated it.

"Blazikins!", she called, voice dripping with venomous sweetness. "Come sit with me. I've missed you."

…

"Once all final preparations are made, we engage. Not before. Between now and the initiation date, all members are required to be on the down-low, meaning absolutely no terminations of any kind, unless given explicit permission from myself. Do I make myself clear?" Murmurs of agreement sounded around the table. I kept my head down, my fists clenched tightly in the fabric of my clothes.

"Lionblaze?", Brokenstar's voice rang out across the table. My head snapped up. The other elites were giving me vindictive grins. "Do you understand, boy?" By now, the other Dark Forest members were outright laughing. I glared at Brokenstar, wishing on him all the pain in the world. Then, with all the hatred I could muster, I snapped, "Very clear. _Sir._ "

He gave me a sugary smile, then gestured for me to rise. I did, hesitantly. "Come with me, boy." The other Dark Forest members snickered, undoubtedly thinking I was about to be punished for the sarcastic remark. I thought the same, my chest tightening, my muscles tensing as if preparing to fight.

Hah.

There is no fighting Brokenstar.

He took me by the arm and dragged me along the deserted halls. My mind was racing. What was going on? Where was he taking me? More importantly, what was he planning to _do_ with me? He was pulling me toward the training room doors, and strode right through them, pulling me with him.

The second he entered, the room went silent.

It was almost uncanny how everyone seemed to freeze in whatever they were doing. Fists were lowered. Chokeholds released. Heads turned to face our direction. Brokenstar didn't even need to do his customary summoning ritual. One icy glare, and the fighters were coming in one by one to form a huddle around the two of us.

He had released my arm, instead opting to grab me by the back of my shirt. I felt like a goddamn _kitten,_ being carried by the scruff after doing something naughty.

"Consider this a test of loyalty", he hissed. "I will pick someone from this group of people, and you will take them out. We'll make a deal, yes? You show me your inner monster, or I'll show you _mine._ " I felt panic at this point. That was a threat. It didn't matter in what sugary tone he said it in, that was very much a threat. I watched as his cold, calculating gaze swept over the crowd. The other students were still, eyeing me fearfully. I had a feeling they knew what my orders were.

"You. Get up here."

Red hair, pale skin. A plethora of freckles.

No. _No. Nononononononononononononono._

Poppyfrost.

I had forgotten she was here. Poppyfrost. I've known her since elementary school. Hell, we were close friends back in the day!

Her eyes locked on mine. She was scared, practically on the verge of fainting. She was hyperventilating, breathing rapid and shallow, trembling. My hand went to my hip, where my shock batons hung in their sheath. My mind was racing: if I executed my movements a certain way, timed the attack just right, I could knock her unconscious relatively quickly. With any luck, she wouldn't feel a thing.

I stepped forward, my batons unsheathed. Poppyfrost took one look at me.

And bolted.

She ran, sprinting across the bloodied ground, toward the doors. She was almost at the exits when it happened. A loud, concussive noise, almost like a crack. A gunshot?

Poppyfrost crumpled to the floor, crimson starting to seep through her clothes and onto the dirty mats. A gunshot wound, straight to the heart. Her body seemed to tremble, shudder, and then go limp. She had died almost immediately.

I scanned the room, trying to find the perpetrator, expecting to find one of the elites holding the gun. Instead, I saw a short, curvy figure dressed in an almost offensively pink blouse and matching flower crown.

I watched in disbelieving horror as _Dovewing_ tucked the revolver back into its holster and smiled charmingly at the stunned crowd. "Did anyone else plan on leaving?"

Silence.

Then I sprung into action. The shock batons still gripped in my hands, I went for her, not even attempting to make it painless this time. I seized her from behind in a bruising grip, and shoved the head of the baton in between her shoulder blades.

I pressed the button.

And watched her body convulse as it was wracked with the electric shock. She was falling as I stepped back, giving her an extra whack with the baton for good measure. The gunwoman having been taken care of, I sprinted toward the exits, and unlike Poppyfrost, actually made it. I burst through the doors, tearing down the corridor. I vaguely heard Mapleshade scream, "After him!" as I distanced myself from the Training Hall.

Just as I rounded the corner, the double doors burst open, and several of the Dark Forest members spilled out. I heard the distinctive _clack-clack_ of high heeled boots and knew immediately who it was.

Dammit.

"Oh Blazikins~", she called sweetly. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" I tasted bile in my mouth for the second time that day, my mind racing. I needed at least a minute to successfully dismantle the light barriers at the sector exits, meaning I either had to evade them, or take them out. I peered around the corner, and saw Heathertail. She had the tail of her whip coiled playfully around her hand, and was being flanked by two hulking grunts, each brandishing a broadsword.

The two grunts would be easy enough to get rid of, but Heathertail concerned me. She was a high ranking warrior for a reason, and her skill and speed rivalled my own. There was no way I could take on Heathertail and her two lackeys in a 3 on 1 match. This information in mind, I ducked out of sight, and prowled down one of the darkened back halls.

One thing I had always appreciated about the other sectors was the fact that there where multiple ways to reach one destination, meaning there was a fair amount of back hallways that led to the same spots as the main ones. This was primarily to decrease congestion in the main halls, but also so teachers could get to different rooms without having to wrestle their way through throngs of students.

It was common knowledge that each of the sectors (Central Sector aside) had the exact same layout. What was different was how each of the rooms was utilized. By now, I had formulated a plan. If I could sneak up on my pursuers from behind and take out the lackeys, I could stand a chance of beating Heathertail.

I ducked through a deserted classroom, crept down a narrow hallway, slipped through an inconspicuous door nestled in the corner of the room. Sure enough, it opened back into the main hall.

I had to be careful now. The slightest mistake could mean death at this point. My heart had jumped up into my throat, and was hammering wildly as if trying to break out of my body. With silent, velvety footsteps I prowled down the hallway, watching for the slightest sign of danger.

There.

I saw the massive backs of the two hulking lackeys, in between them, Heathertail's smaller, slighter figure. I crept along the hall, making no noise. If they turned around and saw me, it was all over.

The second I deemed myself close enough, I made my move. I broke into a sprint, feet pounding against the floor. The two grunts turned, but not nearly fast enough. I leaped. And with one rapid, fluid motion, slammed the shock batons into each of their backs. The two fell like wounded giants, slowly making their way down the floor. After what seemed like an eternity, their bodies collided with the linoleum with a satisfying _smack._

Heathertail watched uncaringly as her two bodyguards passed out. Her ice blue eyes locked onto my face, a dark smile spreading over her face.

"Well, look who finally grew a pair", she breathed. "I was getting bored, just being in pursuit. Oh...I'm SO gonna enjoy ripping you apart."

Having said her part, she charged.

…

I fled.

Heathertail was on the floor, coughing, nursing a lump on her forehead. This was it. The moment. I had to escape now, or there was no getting out of here. She had undoubted called for backup.

"Coward!", she screamed. "Fuck you, Lionblaze! Run, like the damn coward you are!" I tuned her out and kept running, letting my footfalls drown out her voice. I tore off my jacket, and bound it rapidly around my arm. I had kept her on the defensive for the majority of the fight, but she had still gotten several lashes in. My arm had taken the brunt of the blows. The jacket was doing a poor job as a bandage, the blood was already beginning to seep through the fabric.

Dammit.

The bluish glow of the barriers was barely discernible, but hope blossomed through me just the same. I disconnected the circuit, waiting for the barrier to fall. As I stepped out into the Dark connective, headed back to the rest of the school, I felt as if a massive burden had been lifted off my shoulders.

It was a freedom I hadn't felt in years.

 **End Chapter 54**

 **I finally made it to this point. I've been hyped to write this part for YEARS. I don't have much to say, aside from thanks for reading!**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	55. Honeyfern's Goodbye

**Hexagon**

Chapter 55: Honeyfern's Goodbye

 **Welcome back, peeps. I don't have that much to ramble about today, so I'll just get right to business. Thank you to the following wonderful people for their reviews:**

 **-Runereader of the Nightwings**

 **-Snowcrystal of ThunderClan**

 **-Zoeybug**

 **-Guest**

 **-Feathershade**

 **-CinderBlaze4Ever**

 **-Mapledusk**

 **-xbloodywhalex (x2)**

 **-WildxPaws**

 **-HollyleafML**

 **Thanks again! Now let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

 **Heathertail's POV:**

God damn.

I eased myself into a sitting position, coughing. My fingers found their way to a freshly formed lump on my forehead. I cast a hateful glance down the hall, where Lionblaze was rapidly disappearing from sight. There was no catching him now. There was no way the reinforcements would get here on time. Another burst of hatred swelled inside me, and I screamed, "Coward! Fuck you, Lionblaze! Run, like the damn coward you are!"

Not so much as a flinch. He acted as if he hadn't heard me, as if the words had bounced right off of him. I continued like that, screaming every curse word I knew, every hateful, derogatory name I had ever heard, even when I knew he had to be far out of earshot.

The two grunts, Ratscar and Crowfrost, were slowly starting to wake up. "M-mah...lady..", Ratscar slurred, looking disoriented. "Didya catch...him?" I didn't even grace him with a look. "Obviously not", I snapped. "If I had, he would be here, wouldn't he?"

"O'course, ma'am. Right as always. Your impeccable judgement has never failed us or Sir Brokenstar."

Ratscar continued to ramble praises, obviously trying to make up for how quickly he had been taken out. He could have spared himself the trouble; I was going to report him and his partner to the Circle one way or another. I slowly rose to my feet, supporting myself on the wall.

By now, the reinforcements had arrived. A platoon of Dark Forest members was marching down the long hall, led by Hawkfrost. Hawkfrost smiled charmingly at me, tapping his long, rhinestone studded acrylic nails against one of his hoop earrings. "Well?", he asked silkily. "Where is Blaze-dear?" I didn't trust myself to answer. Underneath all the makeup, rhinestones, and glitter, Hawkfrost is in the Circle for a reason. He's one of the most dangerous fighters in the Dark Forest. I admire him for it.

"Heather-dear", he said, a sinister snarl starting to color his tone. "Where is he?"

I dipped my head into a low bow. "Sir….he escaped…".

Hawkfrost started to walk towards me, his metal tipped pumps making ominous clacking noises on the linoleum. I was about to pay for what I had done.

…

 **Jayfeather's POV:**

It was the middle of the night when my phone went off. It was vibrating obnoxiously, the loud buzzing ripping me out of my dream. I turned over, fishing for the nightstand, getting tangled in my sheets as I did so. I kicked the sheets off my body, having finally gotten ahold of my phone. What time was it even? It had to be somewhere around 3 am.

My fingers found the _accept call_ button with practiced ease, and I raised the phone to my ear.

"For fuck's sake, what?", I snapped. "It's the middle of the goddamn night, you had better have a damn good reas-". I broke off. "Lionblaze?" It was my brother. He laughed wearily over the phone. "I….I fucked up. Can you get everyone else into the room? I'll be there in a bit."

"What? Lio-" I didn't get the change to finish. He'd hung up.

Grumbling under my breath about how goddamn cryptic he could be, I pulled on a pair of slippers and made my out the door. The first place I headed to was Cinderheart's and Hollyleaf's dorm, banging on the door until it was finally opened.

Out stepped Hollyleaf, who cracked her knuckles menacingly. "It's literally 3 am you asshole", she hissed. "Mind telling me why exactly you're pounding on my bedroom door like a madman?" I cringed. "It's Lionblaze, alright? He told me to get everyone into our room. Where's Cinderheart?"

My brother's girlfriend appeared behind Hollyleaf, yawning and shuffling her feet. "What's up?"

"You can ask your boyfriend that when he gets back. Something must have gone wrong, he sounded like a mess."

Cinderheart was alert instantly. "Hollyleaf, go get Briarlight, Half Moon, Hazeltail, and Honeyfern. I'll go with Jayfeather to get the boys." Hollyleaf didn't protest, although she still looked confused. Without missing a beat, Cinderheart seized my arm and dragged me down the hall to find Fallen Leaves, Foxleap, and Berrynose.

…

It didn't take long for the three of us to get everyone together. The others were bedraggled, yawning, rubbing eyes, and running hands through messy hair. The room was full of quiet chatter, and everyone had their own speculations as to what this emergency situation was.

Berrynose must have gotten fed up with waiting, as he turned to me. "Alright, you dragged us out of bed in the middle of the night. I think you owe us all an explanation, Jay."

"For the last time", I said irritably. "I don't know either. He just called me and told me to get everyone together. Now if you would just _wait_ for him to get here, th-"

"There's no need."

I spun. Lionblaze had stepped into the room, voice hoarse with exhaustion. The smell of blood hit my nose and I was immediately wary. What had happened?

"My brother sat down, and took a deep breath. "I...I have a confession to make." Another shuddering breath. "It's about time I came clean."

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

The second those words left my mouth, I saw Jayfeather go stiff. I had an inkling he knew what I was about to say. I grimaced, and eased myself with choppy, pained movements onto my bed. Cinderheart immediately slid onto the covers next to me, silently pressing her should into mine. Although no words were exchanged, I felt the comfort from her presence regardless.

"I'm a member of the Dark Forest."

Silence.

It was as if a lightning bolt had struck the room. Everyone was staring at me, shellshocked. I saw Foxleap, Hazeltail, and Half Moon inch away from me, horror written on their faces. Hollyleaf was staring at me as if she had never me seen before, disbelief and defeat easily visible on her features.

"What…?", she whispered.

"I'm a member of the Dark Forest...or better said, I _was_ ", I informed her, my voice meek.

"But _why?",_ she asked, her voice steadily regaining strength. You're a wealthy boy out of a well-to-do family! You're soccer captain! The so called "king" of Hexagon! What could possibly have lead you to want to join the Dark Forest?!"

I felt my eyes start to sting a little bit, although I brushed any traces of moisture away.

I told them the whole story. Any questions they asked, I answered. How I had gotten my scars, when I had joined, why, the happenings inside the Dark Forest, I answered them all. The discussion took nearly an hour, but I had finally arrived at what had happened tonight, Jayfeather stopped me.

"Hold on", he asked. "A meeting?" I nodded. "They're planning something, something massive. They were discussing the launch dates for whatever they're planning." Now Cinderheart was leaning forward in interest.

"Well?", she prompted. "What was said?"

I felt myself burn in embarrassment. "I...I don't know. I wasn't really invested in the conversation. All I was thinking about was getting out of there, not to mention that Heathertail kept touching me under the table, so I wasn't exactly giving what they were saying my undivided attention. I did catch a time range though. February 25-March 10."

Now Hollyleaf spoke up. "I don't think it matters that you didn't actually hear what they were saying. Brokenstar thinks you did, and that on its own is enough."

My eyes hardened. "That means, that they'll come after us. If they think I know when their exact launch dates are, they're going to try to get me out of the way. Not just me, but everyone I care about. From this moment on, everyone in this room is in imminent danger."

...

 **Mousewhisker's POV:**

The silence in the Great Room was borderline oppressive. Students were arranged in neat rows, seated on metallic chairs, facing up toward the front of the room. We were dressed in our uniforms.

Contrary to popular belief, Hexagon does have uniforms, consisting of a gray blazer embroidered with the school coat of arms, a white undershirt complete with a black tie, and black dress pants. What makes them different is that they are only to be worn on special occasions. Such as school showcases or graduations.

Or funerals.

Bluestar stood in the center of the podium, wearing a dressed-up version of our uniform, flanked on either side by the other heads. Behind her was a table covered with a pristine white tablecloth. On it, rested a glossy black casket decked out with flowers.

Bluestar reached for the microphone.

"Today is a tragic day for Hexagon", she began. "We have lost one of our brightest young minds." She bowed her head, bluish-black hair falling forward in a glossy curtain. "Poppyfrost, a Thunder sophomore, committed suicide late yesterday evening." My gaze swept the room, until it finally locked onto Lionblaze's. He had his fists clenched, his jaw tight with fury. I gave him a nod. This was unfair.

This was _wrong._

Suicide? Like hell. Poppyfrost hadn't killed herself. Dovewing had done that for her. The scene replayed itself in my mind with such frightening vividity that I almost toppled off my chair.

Poppyfrost, her tennis shoes skidding across the bloodstained mats in her desperate break for freedom. Dovewing, pulling her gun out of its holster with practiced ease. Dovewing, locking the muzzle of the weapon on target. Dovewing, pulling the trigger with no hesitation. Dovewing, putting a bullet through Poppyfrost's heart without so much as batting an eyelash.

Yeah.

Suicide.

Right.

Bluestar went on in a smooth, almost rehearsed tone, going on and on about the deceased girl. My eyes landed on Honeyfern, who was crying into Cinderheart's shoulder. She had found out about the death late last night, and had been unconsolable ever since. I drowned Bluestar's unnaturally silky tone out automatically. That was, until she said this:

"I urge all students who are feeling self-destructive urges to come speak to our counselors. I assure you that everything is kept strictly confidential. The mental health of Hexagon students is one of the heads' top priorities, as well as the general safety and well being of the student body overall. That is all. Anyone wishing to pay their respects to Poppyfrost may stay behind. Everyone else is dismissed. Thank you."

The nerve of this woman. How dare she? How dare she make Poppyfrost into an example? Trust her to take this situation and turn it into a glowing speech about the importance of mental health. The irony of course, was her supposed concern for our safety. The deaths of Beetlewhisker and Poppyfrost, not to mention all the other lives lost to the Dark Forest were Bluestar's fault, and Bluestar's alone.

I paid my respects and left along with everyone else. Before I went back to my room, I turned around. Honeyfern was standing alone in the empty room, her forehead resting on the cool wood of the casket. She was crying, murmuring her last goodbyes.

 **End Chapter 55**

 **Mousewhisker is salty as hell. Can't blame him though. Also, I imagined Hawkfrost as the evil villain version of Jeffree Star. Don't ask me why.**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	56. Hero Complex

**Hexagon**

Chapter 56: Hero Complex

 **I thought it might interest you to know that I wrote this after my final exam, on the school computer, in the middle of class while everyone else was still testing :D**

 **Thanks to the following people for their reviews!**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Runereader of the Nightwings**

 **-WildxPaws (x3)**

 **-HollyleafML**

 **-Spottedice**

 **-Ivystorm da nerd**

 **-Zoeybug**

 **Ivypool's POV:**

I stepped out of the sauna, exhausted and covered in sweat. Ashfur hadn't gone easy on us. While the rest of the team had hit the showers, I decided to go to the sauna first. Normally I can't stand high temperatures, but the sauna is an exception. Something about the dry heat combined with the smell of hot wood just relaxes me like nothing else can.

I ran my towel under a stream of cool water, then got to work mopping the sweat off my face. Then, with heavy, fatigued steps, I dragged myself out of the pool room and down the Thunder connective. I passed Breezepelt on the way there. His gaze met mine, and he nodded. Just as we were next to each other in the hall, I heard him murmur quietly, "Be careful."

I spun. What the hell? Just as I opened my mouth to ask him, the dark haired Wind rounded a corner and was out of sight. Thoroughly confused, I strode down the hallway that led into the dorm section of the Thunder sector.

The second I stepped into my dorm, something caught my eye. There was a rectangular package covered in shiny black wrapping paper sitting on my bed. Tied around it was a silver and crimson bow. I prowled around my bed in large, cautious circles, almost afraid that the mysterious parcel was going to explode. Was this what Breezepelt meant by "Be careful"?

I shook my head. That didn't make sense. Why the hell would Breezepelt give me a warning about a present? The box certainly didn't look particularly dangerous, with its pretty packaging. I took a deep breath, as if to steel myself, then picked the box up off my bed.

It didn't explode.

Encouraged, my fingers found the silver and crimson bow and carefully tugged it off. Still nothing. The ribbon fell to the ground in a shiny heap. Now all that remained was the glossy black packaging. I reached over to my nightstand and picked up a cheap metal nail file (birthday gift from Dovewing) and carefully ran the blade along the folds of the wrapping paper.

Still no explosion.

The paper landed on the ground along with the bow, revealing a glossy black box, emblazoned with the Dark Forest emblem on the front. The second that image of the snarling cat came into my vision, I panicked. I gave an unearthly shriek and hurled the box at the wall with all the force I could muster.

The container burst open, and the contents that revealed themselves took my breath away. A saber with a curved, wicked blade lay strapped to a bed of crimson velvet. The handle resembled the familiar head of a snarling tiger.

Sabertooth.

I inched over the carpet, and then cautiously picked up the box. Tucked underneath the gleaming metal was a small strip of paper. I slid it out, careful not to tear it, and unfurled it.

 _2/17/64 2100. Welcome back._

…

I'm a coward.

If I had so much as an ounce of courage I would have shredded that damned note the second it turned up in my room. Yet here I was, at 11 o'clock sharp, standing at attention just like all the other R-Fighters. We stood in neat rows, dressed in the standard black attire, weapons in our sheaths. I ran my fingers along the leather belt at my waist, feeling the weight of the knives. Their cool, heavy presence would have comforted 15 year old me.

Now they just made me want to vomit.

Brokenstar's calculating gaze scanned the rows of R-Fighters until it finally landed on me. With a flick of his scarred wrist, he beckoned me forward.

"Ah, Ivypool." He glanced down at my waist, where the replacement Sabertooth was strapped into place. "I see you received my little gift."

I gave a sharp nod.

"Shredtail!", he barked. "Take her to the meeting room. You know the one."

The grizzled warrior bowed his head respectfully, rumbling, "Right away, sir. As you wish, sir." I strode forward and followed the senior fighter in front of the entire Dark Forest. I heard shocked whispers echoing throughout the groups of students.

"I thought she was banished?"

"Shit, _she's_ back. I wouldn't want to be the one to face off against her."

"What in the hell is she doing here?"

I had the sinking feeling that the news of my so-called return would be all over the school by morning. The meeting room looked the exact same as always had. Painted in drab, industrial gray, with bleak walls and no decorations of any kind. LED light bars washed the room in an unpleasant fluorescent shade. The center of the room was taken up by a gargantuan horseshoe-shaped table. The wall behind it was covered in maps, diagrams, legal documents, insurance papers, red string, all kinds of things. Most noticeably? A communal picture of all the Thunder students, marked up in red pen.

Brokenstar seated himself at the very tip of the horseshoe. He refused to sit at the center, where he had his back turned. Even among his closest circle of advisors, he didn't trust them enough to put them where he couldn't see them.

A shame. I wouldn't have minded driving this substitute Sabertooth into his back.

Brokenstar gestured at an empty seat next to Mapleshade. "Sit, my dear", he intoned. Gagging a bit, I sat. They had gone so far as to put a damn plaque with my name on it onto this chair. Feeling more and more suspicious, I sat on the very edge of the seat, barely letting my buttocks graze the chair. Again, I got the nagging feeling that something was about to explode.

"We require your help."

Oh, Brokenstar had dropped a bomb alright. This made sense. The gift. The uncharacteristic hospitality. The fact that I was, for the first time by this man, being treated with respect.

He _wanted_ something from me. I saw how it was. How did the saying go? 'Honey then the hatchet'? Butter someone up before telling them something they don't want to hear.

I stayed silent, my face impassive. Brokenstar went on.

"There was been a breach of security in the Dark Forest." He strode over to the board behind the table, and ripped off the picture of the Thunder students. He slapped the picture down in front of me, his finger resting on one particular student's face.

"He managed to flee, and took with him vital information that could compromise everything we've been working for."

He lifted his finger.

Strawberry blond hair. Amber eyes. _Lionblaze?_

"It's safe to assume that he told those closest to him. I doubt he went so far as to tell the heads. He's too independent and bullheaded for that. Well. It is fitting, that his stubbornness should be the end of him."

My heart was racing. I stared at the picture, at the grinning soccer captain, with a laughing Cinderheart wrapped in his arms. Next to him, the matchmaker-ish Hollyleaf and Jayfeather, cranky and irritable as ever. Foxleap was goofing off, Hazeltail laughing, Icecloud threateningly waving her cleats in his direction. Honeyfern hugging Berrynose. Poppyfrost, gaze downcast, with telltale fist-shaped bruise on her throat.

My eyes flicked up. Brokenstar was way too close, his eyes literally inches from mine. Oh, how easy it would be, to thrust Sabertooth through his chest and be done with it.

"I assume you already know what you are to do."

I just looked at him, face as stony and expressionless as ever.

"Kill him."

…

 **Brokenstar's POV:**

I ripped the picture off the wall, watching as the thumbtack tore through the paper. I would be lying if I said it wasn't satisfying, watching sharp metal rip through the faces of both Bluestar and Firestar. I turned the torn paper over in my fingers, grinning.

Firestar. Tigerstar's loathing for him must have rubbed off on me, I mused, as I once again dragged the tip of the thumbtack over Firestar in the picture.

Bluestar, on the other hand, was a joke. In her stubbornness and insanity, she was protecting me. Her idiocy would cost her her life. I supposed I should thank her for it.

I turned back to face the table. Ivypool was sitting ramrod straight on her chair, face stony, although her eyes reflected suspicion and hate. And fear. Definitely fear.

I gave her a charming smile, then slapped the picture of Thunder down on the table in front of her, keeping my finger over _his_ face. "He managed to flee, and took with him vital information that could compromise everything we've been working for." I lifted my finger, revealing the figure I had been hiding. "It's safe to assume that he told those closest to him. I doubt he went so far as to tell the heads. He's too independent and bullheaded for that. Well. It is fitting, that his stubbornness should be the end of him."

I knew Lionblaze better than he liked to admit. He would almost certainly play the martyr, attempting to fight and suffer himself rather than actually asking the heads for help. Who knew the kid's damned hero complex would come in handy?

"I assume you already know what you are to do."

Ivypool's face remained impassive.

"Kill him."

 **End Chapter 56**

 **The next update will likely be on time, but there are a few things coming up in my life after that. If it messes with my schedule I'll explain in the next chapter.**

 **After getting multiple reviews like these, I felt like I should address these things.**

 ***Firstly, I have no intention of abandoning this story. To everyone who's asked me if this story is getting continued, yes it is (like hell I'm quitting when I'm so close to the end). As a matter of fact, I've started planning out a sequel :D**

 ***Secondly. Please stop telling me to update in the reviews. I stick to my schedule (every other Sunday. My time zone is Eastern Daylight Time, so adjust that depending on where you live) which I think is reasonably paced.** ** **Reviews like 'Looking forward to the next chapter' are fine. Just straight up 'Update' reviews are not.** Those kinds of reviews aren't ones I really appreciate, and the same applies to a lot of other authors.  
**

 **Thank you.**

 **Azra out!**


	57. Deserter

**Hexagon**

Chapter 57: Deserter

 **Hey everyone! Regarding the update schedule: the next update is scheduled to be on 7/21. If I'll be able to make it or not kinda depends on the circumstances in my life. If I can't make it that day, assume the next update will be on 7/28.**

 **Thank you to the following fabulous people for their reviews:**

 **-WildxPaws**

 **-Tigercry (x2)**

 **-DragonoftheStars1429**

 **-Azureflower**

 **-Feather of the Jay**

 **-Guest**

 **-Runereader of the Nightwings**

 **-HollyleafML**

 **-MyLittleDoggos**

 **-D**

 **-Guest**

 **-xbloodywhalex**

 **-Ivystorm da nerd**

 **An extra special thank you to Zoeybug, who was the 500th reviewer!**

 **-confetti-**

 **To the sweethearts who wished me good luck on my exam, I got a 98% ::Azra victory whoops in the distance:: HELL YES**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

I stepped back triumphantly as the heavy metallic doors slid open.

"Since when does Hexagon have an armory?", Jayfeather asked drily. "And more importantly, why do you have access to it?"

I shot my blind brother a sheepish smile, despite knowing he wouldn't be able to see it. "I maaayyyy have slipped Firestar's fingerprints off him at breakfast,'' I confessed, holding up a slip of special paper, which I had used to fool the fingerprint sensors at the door. "It was just a matter of getting him to touch it."

"That's a pretty gaping security issue", Briarlight muttered. "What if the Dark Forest is sourcing its' weapons from here?"

"They're not."

Lionblaze. He was speaking up for the first time in hours. "Brokenstar isn't so dumb as to mass source weapons directly from school inventory, which would definitely be noticed. He has connections with arms dealers from all over the country. They come in from every corner of Briox to do business with him. The stuff then gets smuggled in through supply crates, such as those for food and other necessities."

"This is all fine and dandy", Jayfeather interrupted. "But why are we here?"

"I thought that much would have been obvious."

I spun.

Dressed in athletic, form fitting clothes and with her hair neatly bound was Ivypool. My eyes traveled to her midsection. Fixed just at the swell of her hip was the telltale bulge of a blade.

I took a step back. As did Lionblaze.

"You're arming yourselves, aren't you?"

The five of us remained silent, exchanging uneasy glances.

Ivypool didn't so much as glance at any of us. Instead, she advanced on Lionblaze, footsteps light and velvety.

The tread of a hunter.

"Brokenstar is rather displeased with you at the moment," she breathed. "What do you think my orders are?" Lionblaze just glared. I could see muscles tensing as he shifted into a defensive stance.

Ivypool smiled.

"To kill you."

…

 **Ivypool's POV:**

The second those words left my mouth, Cinderheart reached for the nearest weapon. It was a sword, not unlike the épées used for fencing.

"Stand down", I said boredly. The silverette's blue eyes narrowed dangerously, and she only raised the sword, the point angled in my direction.

"Back off," she hissed.

"Please, we both know you're no good with close combat. If it were accuracy it would be a different matter entirely."

She spat at me, but didn't lower the sword.

I sighed. "I'm not going to hurt your dumbass of a boyfriend." A sneer. "Yeah? Because the words 'to kill you' tell a different story."

I leered. "Just because they're my orders doesn't mean I'm going to follow them." Blue eyes widened, the sword was lowered. Lionblaze had eased out of his battle apprehensive stance and was grinning.

"Brokenstar is dumb as fuck if he thinks I'm going to back him after all he's put me through. You're fighting him, aren't you?"

A consecutive nod, shared by every member of the party.

"You can count me in. Under one condition."

"What is it?", Cinderheart asked warily, once again suspicious.

"I kill Brokenstar."

Hollyleaf and Lionblaze were exchanging smirks. "I think we can have that arranged."

…

"For Star's sake Cinderheart, put the sword down. It's not going to fly." The silverette, despite being my teammate, was eyeing me with pretty blatant distrust. The knowledge that the Dark Forest had a target on her back had done a number on her. My so called "threat" on Lionblaze's life hadn't assuaged those feelings in the slightest.

"Cindy, she has a point. You do kinda suck at close combat." Hollyleaf had inserted herself into the conversation, her hand on Cinderheart's shoulder. The silverette sighed in defeat and dropped the épée. While this was happening, the others were busy selecting their weapons of choice. The whole process of selecting arms was eerily familiar to me, reminding me of my own weapon-selecting at the Dark Forest.

I ran a hand over the revolting knife at my side, shuddering. Lionblaze glanced over from where he was toying with his shock batons. He understood perfectly. The others took their time selecting their weapons, oblivious to Lionblaze and my discomfort. Jayfeather had been milling around a basket of Bo staffs in the corner, and eventually selected a metal one with red markings. I was secretly glad that he hadn't selected a blade with his disability, not that I'd tell him to his face.

The rest of them went for guns. Lionblaze and I didn't. We had wielded our weapons for well over a year, and as disgusting as the blade may be, I was comfortable with it. My fingers seemed to have a mind of their own, sliding into the grooves on the handle with such natural ease that it was frightening.

"If we have guns here", Fallen Leaves mused, running a finger down the side of his chosen weapon. "Why doesn't the Dark Forest just use them as standard weaponry, too?"

I decided to answer. "Because it's ridiculously difficult to get unauthorized firearms into the school. It's a lot easier to smuggle in knives and other medieval stuff. No one uses them anymore, so the screening systems aren't programmed to look for knives. They're too busy scanning for guns."

Lionblaze piped up, "They obviously do have guns. Just very few, because how much of a pain in the ass it is to get them in."

There was a sudden noise from outside the door. It sounded like someone had started rapidly walking away.

"It's nothing, right?", Briarlight asked, fearful.

Uneasy tightening in my stomach, I couldn't answer.

…

 **Minnowtail's POV:**

I hurried into the meeting room, recording device tucked under my arm. The other Elites were seated, eyeing me with haughty distaste. Heathertail had her feet up on the table and was examining her nails, pointedly avoiding my gaze.

I dipped into a hasty bow. I was after all still a lowly R-Fighter. Admittedly a high ranking one, but an R-Fighter regardless.

"Well?", Brokenstar prompted.

My eyes left the floor to meet his. "He lives."

A scoff sounded from the opposite side of the table. It was Hawkfrost, who was currently inspecting his makeup using an ornately decorated compact mirror. "Would this be a good time to say I told you so?", he sneered. Brokenstar looked at him frostily, but made no effort to shut him up.

So, Hawkfrost pressed on. "Ivy-dear couldn't even dispose of a low level schmuck like Antpelt. As if she would be able to kill Blaze-dear. Besides. They're teammates." He trailed a finger along the rhinestone-studded exterior of the compact then looked down the table. "Heather-dear, be a sweetheart and pass me the lip gloss?"

Brokenstar rolled his eyes at Hawkfrost, then turned away. "Yes….", he muttered, toying with one of his earrings. "It was foolish of me to expect her to obey. I suppose this calls for more extreme measures. Minnowtail, what is it that you have there?"

I bowed again, so low that my nose almost brushed the floor. "I recorded their conversation, sir", I informed him. "Although, if you don't mind sir….I may have an idea." Brokenstar raised one scarred eyebrow. "Let's hear it then, shall we?"

I took a deep breath.

"I've been observing since the Valentines Dinner, and I've come to the conclusion that there are three main couples among them. Lionblaze and Cinderheart, Fallen Leaves and Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather and Half Moon. I suggest that one of each pairing is held hostage."

I gazed up at Brokenstar, my eyes glittering malevolently. "Their silence in exchange for the safety of the hostages. If we use the hostages' lives as a bargaining chip, we can guarantee that we won't be disturbed once the launch is initiated."

A sort of unpleasant fire began raging in Brokenstar's eyes as he considered the idea. "Yes….I think that could work…"

 **End Chapter 57**

 **A shorter chapter today, but I thought it would be best if I didn't drag it out any longer. I liked the ending how it was :3**

 **Desertion is a military term, and is the abandonment of a post without permission with the intent of not returning. So basically, running away from the army. Ivypool abandoned the Dark Forest, which makes her a deserter. That applies to Lionblaze and Poppyfrost as well. So if anyone was wondering where the chapter title came from, there you have it.**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	58. Doublestrike

**Hexagon**

Chapter 58: Doublestrike

 **Hi everyone! I prewrote this chapter, so it's just been chilling in my files for like 2 weeks (I literally NEVER write ahead) so it feels like I haven't worked on this for ages. Also! Coincidentally, the 2 year anniversary of this fic falls onto today. Thank you to Ivystorm da nerd for reminding me, or else I would have forgotten for the second year in a row XD. Thank you to the following fabulous people for their reviews:**

 **-HollyleafML**

 **-Tigercry**

 **-WildxPaws**

 **-Runereader of the Nightwings**

 **-Jayfeather's Friend**

 **-Ivystorm da nerd (x5)**

 **-Snowymaple**

 **-CinderBlaze567**

 **-Watermist of WindClan**

 ***Concerning the question asking "Why does Hawkfrost call everyone dear?" I kinda characterized him as an evil Jeffree Star. Since Jeffree Star calls like everyone "honey" I thought I'd pay homage to that by having Hawkfrost call everyone "dear" since both are terms of endearment.**

 **Anyone, on with the fic!**

 **Redwillow's POV:**

There. I narrowed my eyes, focusing on two figures up in the hallway ahead. Their postures were tense, shoulders drawn up and muscles coiled as if waiting for an attack. Well, who was I to keep them waiting?

I watched as the silver haired figure heaved off her backpack and rummaged around in it, pulling out a packet of paper. I strained my ears, catching snippets of their conversation.

"...I still have this to finish."

"Isn't that Mousefur's assignment on Clear Sky and Gray Wing?"

"Unfortunately."

Just then, a burst of noise from the other side of the hallway drowned out a bit of their conversation. Cursing, I inched nearer, hoping to hear something else.

"...acher's library?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Feeling triumphant, I trailed after them, making sure to keep a safe distance. The teacher's library was located in the Star sector, which was for the most part closed to students and therefore very secluded. Perfect.

Cinderheart and Lionblaze made their way across the Star connective, with me a little behind. I stood behind a corner and watched as the two of them stood in front of the library doors. Cinderheart knocked. Whitewing, the librarian, opened the door and ushered the two of them in.

"Hey, you two!", Whitewing said, her voice kindly. "The library's open, even if it doesn't look like it. There's a teacher's meeting going on in the boardroom, so it's pretty empty at the moment. Anyway, come in!"

The pair obliged, disappearing into the library. I checked my watch, letting five minutes creep by before approaching the door myself. I knocked. Whitewing once again answered.

"I'm sorry", she said apologetically. "I don't know you. Did you need something? I'm sorry, but this library is exclusively for teachers, so I can't let you in."

I smiled. "I'm Redwillow", I said, keeping my voice light and reassuring. "I'm a friend of Cinderheart's from soccer. We were going to work on Mousefur's Clear Sky and Gray Wing assignment together." Whitewing's face brightened. "Oh! Well, if that's the case, come on in. They're sitting in the back corner to the left."

I thanked her with another broad smile, and watched as the petite woman disappeared into her office, pulling the door shut behind her. Then, I made my way to the back corner. Sure enough, Lionblaze and Cinderheart were seated in armchairs at a well lit table, backs turned. I smiled coldly, then reached for my gun.

My hand steady, I slowly raised the muzzle of the weapon to the back of Lionblaze's head, the metal barely brushing against reddish-blond strands of hair.

"Don't turn around."

Muscles tensed. Both figures' bodies stiffened, hair standing on end. Cinderheart was pale, sweat starting to bead on her forehead. I watched with grim satisfaction as Lionblaze glowered, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Now. This is how it's gonna go. You're going to do exactly as I say, or I'll blow his fucking brains out. To start with, Cinderheart. Remove your gun and drop it on the floor." Shaking, the silverette began to slowly reach into her backpack. I bumped the muzzle of the revolver against Lionblaze's head and glared at Cinderheart. "A bit faster would be nice", I sneered, and she muttered several foul curses under her breath.

The gun clattered to the floor.

"Kick it over to me. Easy now." The firearm slid across the wooden floor and came to a stop at my foot. Still keeping the gun pressed against the strawberry blond's skull, I picked it up. I ran a finger along it admiringly, before smiling patronizingly at Cinderheart.

"Mhm. This is an expensive make, I quite like it. I think I'll keep it." The silverette sneered, fury written across her features.

"Lionblaze, the shock batons, if you would."

The soccer captain shot me a hateful look out of the corner of his eye, then begrudgingly removed the twin batons from inside his backpack and handed them over to me. I eyed the sleek metal disdainfully. "Not the classiest of weapons, is it?", I jeered. "I think I'll leave it. I have no use for such a pathetic weapon. Besides, it suits you better."

"Cinderheart. Get up." The silverette rose at my command, looking fearful. "Walk over to me. Try anything and you'll be scraping bits of your boyfriend off the floor."

"P-please….", came a strangled whisper. "Leave her alone. She hasn't done anything. Take me. Take me to Brokenstar, but let her go."

The fury inside me boiled over so fast, I could barely control it. I smashed the weapon against the soccer captain's skull so hard that I heard a crack. He was breathing fast, gasping and whimpering in pain. I watched, fascinated, as blood dripped from the point of impact through his hair.

"Stars, I hate you. I hate you so fucking much. Everything about you. 'King of Hexagon'. 'Prince Charming'. But most of all, that damn noble bullshit. Who do you think you are? Her knight in shining armor?"

I turned to the silverette. Her eyes were wide as she stared, transfixed in horror. I handed her one of Lionblaze's batons. "Knock him out", I ordered. She stared. "Excuse me?"

"Knock. Him. Out. Unless you want me to shoot him, which I would be more than happy to do." Trembling, Cinderheart raised the baton. "I'm sorry", she whispered. "Do it." Lionblaze sounded tired, defeated. I smiled as I came to this conclusion.

There was a sharp _crack_ as Cinderheart brought the baton down. I watched, grinning maniacally as the strawberry blond form crumpled onto the desk. I eyed Cinderheart, who was clutching the baton, glowering.

"You didn't think I'd actually let you hold on to it, did you? Drop it." The silverette spat. I, in response, took the gun and once again pressed it to Lionblaze's head.

"Don't make me do it", I sing-songed. Finally she let the baton drop, and I got behind her, pressing the gun hard into her back.

"Walk", I sneered. "We've got places to go."

…

 **Ratscar's POV:**

" _Phase 1 has been a success",_ the mechanical voice intoned. " _Phase 2 has been initiated. Proceed."_ I rose out of my chair and stretched. So Redwillow had succeeded. Good for him. Now I had to prove that I was every bit as capable as he was.

I stepped out of the classroom and into the hallway, keeping a careful eye out for my target. _It's 2 pm….where could he be? The Dining Hall?_ It was possible. Lunch had just ended, he may still be milling around the Central sector. I strode across the Central connective, then skirted around the Dining Hall entrance. Sure enough, I spotted an auburn haired head bobbing through the crowd.

Fallen Leaves.

I reached for my phone. "Birchfall", I said sharply into the speaker. "Yeah?", the Thunder senior responded. "Found him. In front of the Dining Hall entrance. Time for you to get busy."

"No shit."

I sat down in one of the hall armchairs and observed. Sure enough, Birchfall separated himself from the throng of students and approached Fallen Leaves. I leaned forward, hoping to hear what they were saying.

"Yo, Fallen! Daisy asked me to get her the big soup pot out of the culinary supply closet, but I can't reach it. Could you help me out?"

Fallen Leaves laughed, holding his hand above Birchfall's head to emphasize the height difference. "What, are you too short?" Birchfall sucker punched him in the shoulder. "Just shut up and get it down, would you?", came his playful response.

I was watching their interactions, enraptured. The friendly teasing and the way they were comfortable around each other was incredible. They almost looked like real friends. Birchfall may be a pompous Thunder asshole, but he is a good actor. I just hoped he wouldn't hesitate when things got violent. I pulled out my phone, and texted:

 **[sent from Ratscar]** _Don't get too comfortable. Don't forget what we were sent to do._

I saw Birchfall look at his phone and shoot me a look. His message was clear.

 _Shut up and let me do my job._

Birchfall led Fallen Leaves off the main hallway into a smaller side passage. I had to admit, the idea with the culinary storage cabinet was smart. The cabinet was so remote and far-removed that literally no one ever went there. The only person who ever really did was Daisy, sometimes Millie, and they were both more than occupied with the post-mealtime cleanup.

I trailed behind, watching as Fallen Leaves stepped into the windowless room.

"So where is this soup pot, anyway?", he called out, his voice echoing a bit.

Now.

Birchfall walked in, keeping the target distracted with comments about the location of the soup pot. I slipped in after him. I closed the door then locked it, pocketing the key. Then I pounced.

I had Fallen Leaves' neck in my grasp with in seconds, and started applying the pressure. He immediately started fighting back, kicking viciously, elbows flailing as he tried to get a good jab in.

"Birchfall!", he sputtered. "Hel-"

He was cut off mid word as the Thunder senior joined the fray, his hand clapping over Fallen Leaves' mouth. With our combined efforts, it didn't take long. Fallen Leaves collapsed, the skin around his throat already starting to bruise in shades of purple and blue from the strangulation.

"Quick", Birchfall muttered. "The injection. Do it before he wakes up." I complied. I had done it many times before on a dummy, so I wouldn't accidentally kill him. A hostage was little good to us dead.

Birchfall stepped back, dusting the dust off his pants. "Still faster than chloroform", he said, satisfied.

"You say that like you've chloroformed somebody before, which I know you haven't. Stop being pretentious."

Birchfall glared, but didn't say anything else. Instead, he walked around the room, picking up things that had fallen during our scuffle. Essentially, making it look like nothing had happened at all. I, in the meantime, inspected the now thoroughly unconscious Fallen Leaves. Making a split second decision, I pulled up the collar on his jacket to hide the bruises.

"If you're done fussing over the pots and pans, we have to go", I snapped. "The drugs, at least with that dosage, are only effective 30 minutes." Birchfall scoffed but did his part, picking up the junior's legs while I took his arms. I unlocked the cabinet door. Then, we slowly backed out into the main hallway.

A panic over the unconscious brunette erupted almost immediately. Within seconds, an anxious teacher had rushed to our side.

"Great StarClan, what happened to him?", she fretted.

I watched as Birchfall did his thing, as he flawlessly slipped into the persona of a concerned friend. "He fell from the ladder in the storage cabinet", Birchfall said regretfully. "He must have hit his head. We're taking him back to his dorm to rest."

The teacher hovered, still not satisfied. "Are you sure?", she said worriedly. "Head injuries, especially concussions, are nothing to joke about." Birchfall smiled reassuringly, and even went so far as to put a soothing hand over the teacher's. She _blushed._ How revolting. Birchfall is somewhat handsome, but still.

"There's really no need to worry, Miss", he said silkily. "We'll be with him the whole time, and if he gets worse, we'll take him to the hospital wing.

The teacher, now completely charmed, stepped away.

"Of course. I'll let the other teachers know not to be alarmed."

We walked away, and as we did, we heard her murmuring, "Oh..! I did always have a thing for Thunders…"

I scoffed. "StarClan. Disgusting. Was that necessary?"

"Fuck off. And how about you actually do some of the lifting instead of running your mouth."

 **End Chapter 58**

 **A few of you were asking why Minnowtail said Half Moon instead of Briarlight. That's actually referring to something that happened a few chapters back (chapter 53). If you don't remember, you don't have to go rereading. I'll touch base on it next chapter.**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	59. Suspicions

**Hexagon**

Chapter 59: Suspicions

 **Ahahahahhahaaaaaaa procrastination is wonderful. Thank you to the following fabulous people for their reviews:**

 **-HollyleafML**

 **-WildxPaws**

 **-Runereader**

 **-Ivystorm da nerd (x2)**

 **-Guest**

 **-DaisysTomatoSoup**

 **-CinderBlazeWarriors (x2)**

 **In case anyone asks, yes, I did change the summary. I always felt kinda bad about the summary since I was kind of stealing Duchess Frost's, so it was about time that I put something ACTUALLY ORIGINAL in there :D**

 **I was kinda worried you guys would be mad at me after the last chapter (aka: thank you for not ripping my head off for what I did to the characters)**

 **On with the fic!**

 **Minnowtail's POV:**

I had just sat down in my last class of the day when my phone buzzed. I glanced up at Graymist, who was busy drawing a diagram on the board. Deeming it safe, I reached into my bag and pulled out the device. The notification glowed bright on the homescreen. _Phase 2 has been a success. Phase 3 has been initiated. Proceed._

The first thing I felt was fear. Then, slowly but surely, I felt the excitement start to bubble up. The entire first stage depended on my success. If I failed here, the launch would be delayed. And worst case scenario, the entire meticulously crafted plan, forged by Sir Brokenstar and his noble inner circle would implode in on itself.

I would never forgive myself if I ruined everything the Circle had been working for. Sir Brokenstar had saved me from my own demons when he offered me a place in the Dark Forest. The least I could do for him was to play my part.

The pressure was on.

…

"Hi, Minnowtail! It's been ages!"

Half Moon rose out of her common room armchair with a smile, her milky blond hair framing her face in wisps. I returned the smile, going in for a hug. "Hi, girl! I haven't gotten to talk to you in forever. Thanks so much for agreeing to help me on this project!" Half Moon grinned, waving it off. "Oh, it's really no problem. C'mon, sit down."

I obliged, sinking down into the couch. "Ow!", I yelped. Half Moon looked at me in concern. "You okay?" I grimaced, reaching into a crevice in the couch and pulling out a handful of glitter. "What the fuck?"

Half Moon giggled. "Oh, that's from Valentine's Day. Fallen Leaves surprised Hollyleaf, it was super cute, you should have seen it…." So she obviously didn't know yet. I grinned. With any luck, she wouldn't be around to find out.

"Speaking of which", I said grinning. "I saw you and Jayfeather together at the Valentine's Dinner. You two make a super cute couple. Everyone was talking about it, too." Half Moon smiled a little bit. "Yeah, I like him a lot, bu-"

"Hey! Half!" Foxleap came running from the other side of the common room. "Have you seen Icecloud? My mom's on the phone and wants to talk to her." Half Moon tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I think I saw her going into Toadstep's dorm. Although you probably shouldn't interrupt them, things were getting kind of mushy when I left."

Foxleap grimaced. "All the more reason to interrupt them, then,'' he muttered, and took off.

"Let's go into your room", I suggested. "Less distractions." She nodded. "That's probably a good idea." Half Moon rose out of her seat, slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder. She gestured at me. "C'mon, it's this way."

The blond lead me up a flight of stairs onto the upper story of the Thunder sector. The staircase emptied into a dimly lit hallway with thickly carpeted floors. Every step was muffled by the layers of cloth, I noted grimly. The rooms on the upper stories were typically the nicer ones. The dorms here had high ceilings and skylights, and were typically reserved for the students who could afford to pay a little more in their tuition.

Half Moon pressed her hand against the lockscreen, and with a quiet hum, the doors slid open. Sure enough, her dorm was top-tier. The room was equipped with a private bathroom (I had to use the communal), a walk in closet, and even a kitchenette. Her mattress alone was at least twice as thick as mine.

Like most of the other students at Hexagon, her parents were loaded. People like me, who hadn't gotten in on a scholarship like Cinderheart and Icecloud and barely had enough to pay the tuition usually got stuck with the suckier rooms.

The door slid shut and locked with a click. Half Moon was in the kitchen and was rummaging through the freezer for food.

"What are you doing?", I called over, keeping my voice light. "Getting ice cream", she replied. "Lemme just find it and then we can get started. You wanted to know about the history of the flute, right?"

"Oh. Yeah." I rose out of my seat and reached for my gun. I drew it, letting my finger play over the trigger. Then, slowly, I placed the muzzle against Half Moon's blond head.

She froze.

I leaned forward, putting my mouth right next to her ear. "Right now as we speak, Jayfeather is in a class with Hollowflight. Do you know him?" Half Moon shuddered, but did not respond. "He's a close friend of mine. Wouldn't it be a shame if something were to happen to Jayfeather?"

Half Moon's voice trembled with suppressed fury as she spoke. "Lay a finger on him and I will fucking kill you."

I giggled. "My, so protective of your boyfriend. Really makes me wonder who wears the pants in this relationship."

Half Moon glowered. "Boyfriend? What the hell? We're not together. He's with Briarlight you idiot, that's all the entire school is talking about."

I smiled sweetly. "Throwing your best friend under the bus isn't particularly classy, I'll have you know. Besides, I saw you together. So either you're lying to me or you're a homewrecker. Neither makes you look particularly good, so I'd stop talking if I were you."

"Are you actually stupid? We're not together. This is pointless!" I seized the girl by the collar, dragging her up so that we were practically face to face. "Either way", I breathed. "You're close to one of Firestar's grandchildren. That makes you valuable."

Green eyes widened. "...what? What do Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather have to do with all of this?" I sneered. "Everything. Now." I pressed the muzzle of the gun into her back, keeping close to her to make sure the weapon was out of sight.

"March."

…

 **Hollyleaf's POV:**

"Lionblaze, I swear to StarClan. This is the 6th voicemail I've left and if you don't answer soon I will kick your ass." I ended the recording and sat back on the common room couch, settling in next to Briarlight. It was unlike him to keep me waiting so long. In that moment, Half Moon walked down the stairs with Minnowtail close behind her. I gestured over to her.

"Hey, Half!", I called. The milky blond girl walked over, Minnowtail still staying close behind. "Have you seen Lionblaze?", I asked. I rose up and whispered conspiratorially into her ear. "Hazel and I want to prank Cinderheart and we need his help." A fleeting expression of distress seemed to cross over her face, and I raised my eyebrows.

"N-no…", she stammered. "I h-haven't seen him. Sorry…" Minnowtail, looking annoyed, bumped into her hard. Even more confused, I looked at her closely. "Half, are you alright? You look kinda stressed."

This statement only seemed to distress the blond more. She flailed her arms. "I-it's no big deal, I swear. Minnowtail and I were just about to go to the library to work on her music history project. She asked me for help and of course I said yes, and-"

I surveyed them both closely. "Half, you're rambling", I interrupted calmly. "Whitewing's holding a meditation session in the Dining Hall for anyone who's feeling stressed. You should consider going."

"There's no need! I'm fine, really. I just really want to help Minnowtail on her project."

I turned my gaze to Minnowtail. "A music history project?", I asked. "Yes", Minnowtail replied, somewhat coldly.

"I wasn't aware there was a project like that. Which teacher assigned it?"

"Graystripe. I wouldn't expect you to know. It's an extra credit project and not everyone qualifies. Well, we really should get going. Wouldn't want to upset a teacher, now would we?"

With that, the pair marched off, Minnowtail still pressing into Half Moon's back. Just as they were about to leave, Half Moon's head turned slightly, casting me a terrified look before the door slammed shut.

I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes. "That was…."

"Weird", Briarlight finished. She had been watching the entire exchange in silence. "I'm a music student too, and I've literally never heard of this project. And judging by Half Moon's reaction, she didn't really know anything about it either. That on its own is strange. Half Moon is Graystripe's favorite student. He practically tells her about everything."

I scrunched up my face in confusion. "Maybe it's a remedial project? Like, intended for people who are failing?"

Briarlight shrugged. "I have no idea. We could go ask Graystripe."

With that, the two of us rose out of our seats and walked out into the hall. Although this so called "mystery project" was definitely weird, that wasn't what disturbed me. Half Moon's behavior did.

Her uncharacteristic nervousness unnerved me. And the look she had thrown me while leaving was strange too. Something was wrong here, I could feel it.

…

Graystripe ran one massive hand through his short cropped gray hair, peering down at us with rounded amber eyes.

"A musical history project?", he asked, looking confused. "Where did you hear that?" I could have sworn I felt my veins ice over. "Minnowtail", I said slowly. "She said it was an exclusive project or something."

Graystripe shook his head good naturedly. "Nah, she must have been confused. I don't usually do extra credit. On the rare occasion that I do, it's never an exclusive thing. It's always available to the whole class. Does that help?"

"Yeah…", Briarlight murmured. "Thank you…."

 **End Chapter 59**

 ***A homewrecker, bluntly put, is the person who gets cheated with. Not the one who gets cheated on, but the one who gets cheated with. It's typically used to describe someone who destroys marriages, not high school relationships among teenagers, but I just really like using the term. It's a fun word, okay?**

 **For some reason, the idea of Foxleap being protective over Icecloud even though she's perfectly capable of protecting herself gives me the fuzzies. It's cute.**

 **I feel like y'all gonna hate me for what I've done to these poor characters.**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


	60. In the Dark

**Hexagon**

Chapter 60: In the Dark

 **8/18/19 (I decided to start putting dates on my chapters)**

… **.please excuse the lame chapter title. I very much ran out of ideas. Anyway, thank you to the following people for their reviews:**

 **-HollyleafML**

 **-CinderBlazeWarriors (x2)**

 **-Ivystorm da nerd (x4)**

 **-h (I'm a little confused)**

 **-Briarfang (x2)**

 **-Spottedice**

 **-Tigercry (x2)**

 **-Guest**

 **-Muziccat91**

 **Let's get on with the chapter, shall we?**

 **Cinderheart's POV:**

The second we passed over the Dark connective, I knew it was over. The light barrier rose almost aggressively behind us, the violent hum resonating in my ears. I stopped, and turned to stare backwards at the barrier that separated me from the relative safety of the rest of the school. Redwillow bumped the revolver sharply against my back.

"Keep walking", he snapped.

"Why are you doing this?", I asked quietly. A poisonous sneer curled itself over Redwillow's lips. "Oh, you'll learn soon enough. Now. Keep walking."

It was a beautiful day outside, with clear blue skies and few clouds. The school floated serenely, the few clouds that did exist undisturbed by the hum of the engines. How perfectly ironic.

Once we had passed over the glass walled connective, the sun seemed to vanish entirely. The lushly carpeted floors underfoot became dirty linoleum. The clean, modern walls were switched out for a drab industrial gray. Sunlight was replaced by harsh fluorescent lighting. I had seen firsthand how much money was spent on the upkeep in the other sectors. It quickly became obvious that the heads hadn't bothered to do the same here.

The hallway finally ended at a pair of soundproofed metal doors. Redwillow opened them with a leer, then shoved me inside.

Inside was a large, square, industrial looking room. It had been divided into many different sandy courts, with a massive "group" court in the center. Several one vs ones were being waged, although I saw no one I knew among them. Redwillow shoved me forward. "If you think it's full now, wait until tonight,'' he cackled. "Brokenstar's holding a training session. Maybe he'll let you watch." I let Redwillow frogmarch me through the Training Hall, keeping my eyes averted. Somewhere to my left, there was a thud, followed by a sharp crack and an ear piercing shriek of pain.

"Get up." I did a double take. I knew that voice.

A voluptuous blond in skin tight black clothing was striding across the sand. Heathertail. She gave the unfortunate on the floor a sharp kick in the stomach. She raised her whip.

Then, looking me right in the eye, brought it down.

The screaming grating on my ears, and I felt every muscle in my body go on panic mode. I clapped my hands over my ears and let Redwillow whisk me away, out of the Training Hall and away from the horrible screaming. He kept shoving, leading me past empty classrooms and over dirty floors, until he finally stopped at an inconspicuous looking door.

I was shoved in, and was met with the sight of a pair of grunts dumping an unconscious Fallen Leaves on the ground. The auburn haired junior smacked onto the linoleum with an unceremonious thud.

One of the grunts turned around, and my eyes widened in horror. "Birchfall?", I cried.

The Thunder senior brushed past me without sparing me a glance. "Welcome to the Dark Forest", he said frigidly. With that, the doors locked.

…

 **Half Moon's POV:**

"Welcome to your new home. Get comfortable, because you'll be here for a while." The doors slammed, the sound of the lock click like a death sentence. Minnowtail flounced off, the sound of her heels audible even through the thick door.

"Half Moon? What the hell?" I turned, and felt my blood run cold. "Oh my Stars. Cinderheart!" I rushed forward and wrapped the silverette in a tight embrace. "Is Fallen Leaves okay?" The junior lay limply on the hard floor, wrapped up in Cinderheart's jacket. "I have no idea. He's completely unresponsive. I think they might have drugged him."

"I'm almost sure that's the case", I muttered. "Fallen Leaves is a big guy. They would have had a hard time keeping him in check if he were conscious. Here. Look." I peeled back Fallen Leaves' collar. Sure enough, the skin around his throat was bruising shades of purple and blue. "Strangulation, I'll bet", I muttered. "And here. An injection bruise. They drugged him for sure. With what, I have no idea."

I heard a quiet sniffle. Cinderheart leaned back against the metallic wall, furiously rubbing at her eyes. "S-sorry…", she whispered. "I can't stop it." At the sight of the normally fearless Cinderheart breaking down, I felt my own tears starting to rush up. My throat got tight, and I felt my eyes burn. I sat down next to her, brushing our shoulders together in an attempt to convey comfort.

"I just don't understand,'' she muttered. "What's the point? If what Hollyleaf and Lionblaze said is right, then they're trying to cover their tracks. What could they possibly gain by kidnapping students? That's just making an even bigger mess for themselves. What do they get out of this?"

There was a groggy mumble from the other side of the room. "Whaa ...what the…" Cinderheart jumped up. "Fallen Leaves!", she exclaimed. "You're awake!" The brunette sat up, bleary eyed and confused. "Cinderheart? Half Moon? What the fuck? Where are we?"

"The Dark Forest", I said grimly. "We've been kidnapped, although I think you could have figured that part out on your own."

Fallen Leaves took the news that he had been kidnapped better than I expected. He averted his eyes, and rubbed his temples as if trying to ward off a headache.

"I was expecting something like this", he muttered, looking exhausted. I leaned forward. "Huh?"

Cinderheart did the same. "What do you mean, Fallen Leaves? Elaborate."

"We're being used as leverage. The Dark Forest thinks Lionblaze has information that could potentially harm their plot. In order to prevent him from informing the heads, we've been taken hostage. Just why us? It would have so much easier for them to take Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather themselves. That way, they could have put pressure on Firestar directly, and they'd have eliminated the possibility of Lionblaze telling anyone."

Cinderheart was putting together the pieces now, and she piped up, "No, I think that's the issue. If they'd taken the siblings and used them to blackmail Firestar, that would've been like announcing to the whole school that they exist. This way, they stay under the radar. The only people who know are the students, and they're keeping adults out of the game entirely. It's smart, I'll give them that."

"What do you think they'll do to us?", I asked quietly. "Knowing the Dark Forest, they might hurt us just to make a statement."

We huddled together. Even though the change was minor, it gave me a false sense of security, one I appreciated. "I don't know", Fallen Leaves said quietly. "It's out of our hands now. All we can do is wait."

…

 **Briarlight's POV:**

I stumbled back, my hands clapped to my mouth.

"Jayfeather", I yelled, my voice piercing through the peaceful quiet of the library. "I found him!" The blind medicine apprentice came rushing through one of the book aisles, into the little back corner I was standing in. There, slumped over a table, was Lionblaze. There was a rapidly swelling lump on the back of his head, blood dripping from it through his hair.

Jayfeather skidded to a halt. "What happened? Is he alright?"

"He's unconscious, probably from the head injury." Jayfeather leaned forward, his fingers gently going through his brother's hair, looking for the injury. His fingers came away slick with blood.

"Bumps on the head aren't usually dangerous, and a minor hit to the head shouldn't have been enough to knock him out. He might have been hit more than once. Either way, he'll likely have a concussion. We need to take him to the hospital wing", Jayfeather said. "Can you tell Hollyleaf that we found him? She was livid because he wasn't answering his phone."

"Sure." I rummaged through my backpack, grabbed my phone, and called Hollyleaf. "Hey Holly. We found him. ...Yeah. Can you meet us in the hospital wing? Alright."

Jayfeather holding his arms and me holding his legs, we were about to start walking when I tripped over something. I kneeled down, and picked up a shiny, metallic baton, the top edge of which was crusty with blood. A second one lay next to it. "At least now we know what he was hit with", I muttered quietly to myself. "Hey, Jayfeather. I just found a pair of batons. Are they Lionblaze's?" The blind medicine apprentice strode over, and picked up the weaponry.

"Oh, these are his alright", he said grimly. "C'mon. Let's get out of here."

…

 **Lionblaze's POV:**

The first thing I felt when I started coming to was the pain on my head. There was a fierce throbbing wracking my skull, as if someone was pounding a hammer into my head. I slowly opened my eyes, groggy and sick with pain. The room felt like it was spinning. I was in a pristine, white walled hospital room, packed into a hospital bed. It was one of those adjustable beds, with the navy blue mattress and white plastic railing.

I groaned, running a hand through my hair and sitting up. There were bandages in my hair. And everything stank of disinfectant and antibiotic ointment.

"Welcome back to the waking world, sleeping beauty", came a dry voice from above me. "How do you feel?" It was Jayfeather. He was sitting cross-legged in one of the hospital chairs, arms folded. "Dizzy", I moaned. "My head's killing me. And I kind of feel like I'm gonna throw up."

"That's to be expected." The voice was unfamiliar. I looked around the room, and noticed Spottedleaf standing by the door. "You've sustained two head injuries. There's a relatively minor bump on your head, however, you also have a concussion. That's what you're feeling the aftereffects of. I'm going to ask you a few questions, is that alright?"

"Ask away."

"What is your name?"

"Lionblaze."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"What country are we in?"

"Briox, a Southern European country."

"Where do you live?" I raised my eyebrows. "What, me or my family?" Spottedleaf responded, "Both." I sighed. "I live here, at Hexagon Academy. My family lives in Newport Beach, Southern California." Spottedleaf scribbled a few notes on her clipboard, before looking at me. "Well, your memory seems to be fine, at least."

"How long until I get out of here?", I asked, exhausted.

Spottedleaf peered at me through narrowed eyes. "You do realize you were unconscious right? As in, severe concussion? Recovery could take a few weeks."

I stared in horror. "A few _weeks?_ " My girlfriend was missing! There was no way I could just stay sitting on my ass. Jayfeather glared at me to be quiet and listen to the doctor, but understanding reflected across his unseeing eyes. His message was clear. _Wait until she leaves, and we'll figure it out._

Spottedleaf acted as if she hadn't heard me, and carried on. "I'm going to keep you here for two days. You can go back to your dorm after that, and I'll write a note excusing you from classes for the first few days. After that, I want you to take it easy and to come back for checkups every couple days. Absolutely no soccer or physical activity at all, understood? And I don't care that you're captain. You of all people need to be fit for the game against Moonrise Academy."

"...fine."

"Good. I'll give you something for the headache, then." She went over to the cabinet, unlocked it, and pulled out a pill bottle. She emptied two onto her palm, then gave them to me. "Jayfeather, be a dear and get your brother some water, please?" Jayfeather rolled his eyes, but filled a glass with water anyhow. I downed the pills, then looked at Spottedleaf, silently willing her to leave so I could speak to Jayfeather alone.

She didn't. "You have visitors, by the way. Do you want me to let them in?"

"Go ahead." Spottedleaf ducked out of the room for a moment, then ushered in Hollyleaf, Ivypool, and Briarlight. Hollyleaf was upon me in an instant, wrapping me in a hug.

"Ugh, Holly", I complained. "Get off!"

"I'm sorry for bitching", she wailed. "I totally thought you were ignoring me, I had no idea what happened!" Spottedleaf giggled. "Well, I'll leave you alone now. Lionblaze, if you need me, there's a buzzer right there." With that, Spottedleaf was gone.

The second the pretty brunette doctor was out of earshot, Hollyleaf dropped the ditzy act. She put her hands on my shoulder, her eyes blazing with emerald fire. "Alright, what happened. Where's Cinderheart?"

 **End Chapter 60**

 **::rubs hands together evilly:: Ooooh boy, things are getting intense!**

 **Reviews? :3**

 **Azra out!**


End file.
